International Dublin Literary Award
Idaho: A Novel
A quiet novel about family rupture, memory, and the long shadow cast by a devastating killing.
Work Information
A quiet novel about family rupture, memory, and the long shadow cast by a devastating killing.
A quiet novel about family rupture, memory, and the long shadow cast by a devastating killing.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Random House
- Published
- 2017-01-03
- Pages
- 320 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 16.76 x 2.54 x 24.13 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780812994049
- ISBN-10
- 0812994043
- Price
- 6236 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Mystery & Thrillers/Thrillers/Psychological & Suspense
A stunning debut novel about love and forgiveness, about the violence of memory and the equal violence of its loss—from O. Henry Prize–winning author Emily Ruskovich Finalist for the New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award Ann and Wade have carved out a life for themselves from a rugged landscape in northern Idaho, where they are bound together by more than love. With her husband’s memory fading, Ann attempts to piece together the truth of what happened to Wade’s first wife, Jenny, and to their daughters. In a story written in exquisite prose and told from multiple perspectives—including Ann, Wade, and Jenny, now in prison—we gradually learn of the mysterious and shocking act that fractured Wade and Jenny's lives, of the love and compassion that brought Ann and Wade together, and of the memories that reverberate through the lives of every character in Idaho . In a wild emotional and physical landscape, Wade’s past becomes the center of Ann’s imagination, as Ann becomes determined to understand the family she never knew—and to take responsibility for them, reassembling their lives, and her own. Praise for Idaho “You know you’re in masterly hands here. [Emily] Ruskovich’s language is itself a consolation, as she subtly posits the troubling thought that only decency can save us. . . . Ruskovich’s novel will remind many readers of the great Idaho novel, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping. . . . [A] wrenching and beautiful book.” —The New York Times Book Review “Sensuous, exquisitely crafted.” —The Wall Street Journal “The first thing you should know about Idaho, the shatteringly original debut by O. Henry Prize winner Emily Ruskovich, is that it upturns everything you think you know about story. . . . You could read Idaho just for the sheer beauty of the prose, the expert way Ruskovich makes everything strange and yet absolutely familiar.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Mesmerizing . . . [an] eerie story about what the heart is capable of fathoming and what the hand is capable of executing.” —Marie Claire “ Idaho is a wonderful debut. Ruskovich knows how to build a page-turner from the opening paragraph.” —Ft. Worth Star-Telegram “Ruskovich’s debut is haunting, a portrait of an unusual family and a state that becomes a foreboding figure in her vivid depiction.” —The Huffington Post
Emily Ruskovich grew up in the mountains of northern Idaho. She graduated from the University of Montana and received an MA in English from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She was the 2011–2012 James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her fiction has appeared in Zoetrope, One Story, and The Virginia Quarterly Review . She was a 2015 winner of the O. Henry Award for her story “Owl.”
Reviews
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A gripping story, beautifully written.
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Very difficult to read, especially on an electronic reader as the story jumps around in time. There is no logical reason for this other than to frustrate the reader. A number of chapters detail life in prison. I found that these were very dark and depressing. I did not enjoy this book and remain puzzled as to the aims of the author
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Ottimo prodotto. Bellissimo libro. Storia affascinante e stile intenso e lirico
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I first learned of this book in the Fort Worth Telegram's Art and Entertainment Section. The book was given high reviews so I decided to order it. I enjoyed reading, it is not a feel good book, but deals with real life. It reminds me of the title of a song, "It Is What It Is." This is a new writer. I like to read books from new writers, new thoughts, new ways of writing. Writing that someone has kept in his or her mind, then put these thoughts on life into words. The book begins in 2004 in Idaho's panhandle where Emily Ruskovich was raised. This is the same area where "Housekeeping," by Marilynne Robinson is located. Ann and Wade have been married eight years. Wade is sliding into early dementia which affected his father who got lost wandering into the snow. Ann is a loving wife who realizes what her husband's problems are. She has to be careful about what she says and how she acts. He may become abusive, something back in time may set him off. Something hidden away and forgotten in his mind. Ann is Wade's second wife, his first, Jenny, is in prison for an unspeakable action. Ann, a music teacher before marrying Wade, had a crush on one of her male students, a youth missing part of one leg. Another character, Elizabeth, is in prison for life for killing her boyfriend and another man who witnessed the shooting. She cannot attend art and English and writing classes because she attacked her previous roommate. She and Jenny, now roommates get along well. Jenny killed her six year old daughter, May, with an ax. Older daughter, Jane, a strange child ran away, afraid of her mother. She is never found. The book brings readers into the women's prison. Ann's mind drifts into the time when that terrible thing never happened. She feels she can see and feel what happened on that awful day. Remember how and what occurred though she was not there. The book flows back and forth in time, back to when Wade and Jenny are young until Jenny and Elizabeth are very old. Years pass, then return, past and future run together. Characters remember back in their lives, things they should never have done, Other characters remember what they should have done, things that would have made their lives better.. Who knows what is right or wrong. It is soon over. Many characters drift through this book. Ms Ruskovich seems to go deep into the minds and thoughts of her characters. Characters who drift through the main characters lives, and are soon forgotten. Characters who live long lives, others short and sweet. My favorite character is May, always a sweet child, who never will change. This is a good book, too true to life, not for everybody. A trip to northern Idaho seems interesting. There are so many good things I can say about this book.
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You never find out WHY the person did what they did. You get all the other reasons, but no insight to the 'main' character. I couldn't handle not having resolution. If that doesn't bother you, then this is an awesome book.