Abundance

Unputdownable and heartbreaking coming-of-age fiction about fathers and sons

Author: Jakob Guanzon

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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

Description

Evicted from their trailer on New Year's Eve, Henry and his son, Junior, have been reduced to living out of a pick-up truck. Six months later, things are even more desperate. Henry, barely a year out of prison for pushing opioids, is down to his last pocketful of dollars, and little remains between him and the street. But hope is on the horizon: Today is Junior's birthday, and Henry has a job interview tomorrow.

To celebrate, Henry treats Junior to dinner at McDonald's, followed by a night in a real bed at a discount motel. For a moment, as Junior watches TV and Henry practices for his interview in the bathtub, all seems well. But after Henry has a disastrous altercation in the parking lot and Junior succumbs to a fever, father and son are sent into the night, struggling to hold things together and make it through tomorrow.

In an ingenious structural approach, Jakob Guanzon organizes Abundance by the amount of cash in Henry's pocket. A new chapter starts with each debit and credit, and the novel expands and contracts, revealing the extent to which the quality of our attention is altered by the abundance-or lack thereof-that surrounds us. Set in an America of big-box stores and fast food, this incandescent debut novel trawls the fluorescent aisles of Walmart and the booths of Red Lobster to reveal the inequities and anxieties around work, debt, addiction, incarceration, and health care in America today.

Critic Reviews

Phenomenal. Guanzon is an incredibly exciting new voice. . . . [Abundance] does one of the things I love about fiction, where it really allows you to walk in a character's shoes - books like this don't come around too often. Guardian
[A] devastating portrayal of Henry's hard-scrabble life and desperate love for his son Daily Mail
A tense, yet tender portrait of a father and son trying to escape life on the margin. Determination and despair collide in this unforgettable debut, with an ending that broke my heart. -- Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain

Extremely heartbreaking, I constantly had a pit in my stomach... My heart hurt so much...I loved it! The emotions and feelings in this story were just written so beautifully.

-- Goodreads Reviewer, five starred review
I guarantee your heart will not leave your throat for one second reading this... Will haunt you long after you set the book down. -- Goodreads Reviewer, five starred review
Broke my heart but I couldn't stop reading -- Goodreads Reviewer, five starred review
Gut-wrenching... Truly heartbreaking... Told with compassion and vivid detail... Feels tense right to the very end... Brilliant -- Goodreads Reviewer
Will rip your heart out -- Goodreads Reviewer, five starred review
Excellent... I read this book in one sitting. Poignant, thought provoking. Highly recommend. One of the best novels that I have ever read -- Goodreads Reviewer, five starred review
Wow, I really enjoyed this... I found myself gasping... If you're looking for a great story, and an incredible author to bring that story to life, look no further -- Reader review, five starred
Full of beauty, honesty and unexpected grace -- Gary Shteyngart
A quest, a page-turner, and above all a love story, Abundance lays bare one father's brutal, tender hustle to care for his son in a winner-take-all world -- Mia Alvar
Tender, anxious, angry, and beautiful -- Mark Doten
The reader aches for these characters... An example of how fiction can be more "real" than real life Pioneer Press
An impressive debut Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jakob Guanzon is the author of the novel Abundance. He was born in Manhasset, New York, then raised in Minnesota. He holds a degree in sociology from Hamline University and a master of fine arts from Columbia University. He lived in Madrid, Spain for several years, where he began teaching, translating, and publishing prose.

In 2015, he moved from Madrid to New York City, where he continues to live and work.

More on this Book

'A tense, yet tender portrait of a father and son trying to escape life on the margin. Determination and despair collide in this unforgettable debut, with an ending that broke my heart.' Douglas Stewart, author of Shuggie Bain Evicted from their trailer on New Year's Eve, Henry and his son, Junior, have been reduced to living out of a pick-up truck. Six months later, things are even more desperate. Henry, barely a year out of prison for pushing opioids, is down to his last pocketful of dollars, and little remains between him and the street. But hope is on the horizon: Today is Junior's birthday, and Henry has a job interview tomorrow.To celebrate, Henry treats Junior to dinner at McDonald's, followed by a night in a real bed at a discount motel. For a moment, as Junior watches TV and Henry practices for his interview in the bathtub, all seems well. But after Henry has a disastrous altercation in the parking lot and Junior succumbs to a fever, father and son are sent into the night, struggling to hold things together and make it through tomorrow.In an ingenious structural approach, Jakob Guanzon organizes Abundance by the amount of cash in Henry's pocket. A new chapter starts with each debit and credit, and the novel expands and contracts, revealing the extent to which the quality of our attention is altered by the abundance-or lack thereof-that surrounds us. Set in an America of big-box stores and fast food, this incandescent debut novel trawls the fluorescent aisles of Walmart and the booths of Red Lobster to reveal the inequities and anxieties around work, debt, addiction, incarceration, and health care in America today.