Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2011
240 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
The daily rhythm of a veterinarian's family in rural New England is shaken when a hunting accident leaves their eldest son in a coma. With the lives of his loved ones unhinged, the veterinarian struggles to maintain stability while searching for the man responsible. But in the midst of their great trial an unexpected visitor arrives, requesting a favor that will have profound consequences—testing a loving father’s patience, humor, and resolve and forcing husband and wife to come to terms with what “family” truly means.
The Call is a gift from one of the most talented and extraordinary voices in contemporary fiction—a unique and heartfelt portrait of a family, poignant and rich in humor and imagination.
"The book gets under your skin, though. Murphy is cunning and thoughtful enough to give her story some unexpected curves, and as it unfolds, it gradually accrues substantial emotional depth…What resonates…is Murphy's ability to invoke some very big themes—responsibility, guilt, revenge, the moral order of community—without tipping over into the heavy-handed or obvious." - The Washington Post
"Murphy's subtle, wry wit and an appealing sense for the surreal leaven moments of anger and bleakness, and elevate moments of kindness, whimsy, and grace." - Publishers Weekly
"Engaging and acutely modern, this work will appeal to many readers." - Library Journal
"A marvelous book: sweet and poignant without ever succumbing to easy sentiment, formally inventive and dexterous without ever seeming showy. A triumph." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. Incisive and imaginative...[A] hypnotically patterned, wryly funny, and warmly compassionate tale...Visceral detail and deep knowledge stoke this gorgeously realized novel...With phenomenal economy and delicious deadpan humor, Murphy dramatizes...the many forms of giving and healing." - Booklist
"Undeniably fascinating...Yannick Murphy's The Call is a one-of-a-kind story…filled with forthright, understated prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s." - The Daily Beast
"Displaying an almost magical economy...The Call conjures the quirky satisfactions of rural life...true heroism is revealed in the humanity of a taciturn and decent man." - People, 4 stars
"Remarkable...The truthful evocation of family is the real triumph of 'The Call'. There is much love in this novel, and just as much truth about the pain and pleasure of family life...[A] clever and beautiful book." - The Boston Globe
This information about The Call was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Yannick Murphy is the author of the novels Signed, Mata Hari; Here They Come; and The Sea of Trees, as well as two story collections and several children’s books. She is the recipient of a Whiting Writer’s Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Award, and a Chesterfield Screenwriting Award.
Her work has appeared in Best American Nonrequired Reading and The O. Henry Prize Stories. She lives in Vermont with her veterinarian husband and their children.
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