Ways of Leaving
A standout novel about going home, where old girlfriends, awkward funerals, deeply buried parental secrets and naked, drunken, nocturnal escapades irritate a man like scabs of his squandered youth and misspent adulthood. . . . ruthlessly brilliant writing brings grace to a story smoldering in pain.
Chase Stoller is a beautifully mangled all-American mess. Jarrett’s ability to paint a picture of the tedium of small town America, and then to drop a character into this (Hannah) that’s right out of a Wyeth painting, well that sealed the deal for me. With pitch perfect dialogue and writing that felt like a perfect Indian summer day, "Ways Of Leaving" was that rare book that when I read the last word on the last page…I went back to page 1 and read it all over again.
It’s official: Grant Jarrett has created the most entertaining, existential anti-hero since Tony Soprano. Whether you’re laughing out loud or wincing in recognition, "Ways of Leaving" will impress you with its raw honesty, keen writing, and ultimately, its big heart.
Grant Jarrett's vividly-drawn characters, dark humor and empathetic voice build bridges that transport the reader through this inter-generational story of parents and siblings in which the desire for salvation is challenged by the equally powerful impulse for destruction. "Ways of Leaving" depicts a seemingly familiar world that becomes freshly discovered and understood in Jarrett's intricate telling.
Jarrett's "Ways.." reminds me of Joseph Heller's work; dark, humorously demented, truthful; with unavoidable wit and insight.
[Ways of Leaving] is a tour de force by a highly skilled author who has had the integrity and skill to examine the human condition for what it is and yet still rejoice about it.
A first-rate, deeply insightful, moving and painfully honest examination of human life which is also excruciatingly funny...
It is the final scene that will literally take your breath away.
... an outstanding and devastating new novel ...
... as heartbreaking as anything you will read in a novel this year.
... a master class of fiction writing ...
More Towels: In Between the Notes
Hilarious and entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely.
Well written and very engaging.
It will be a fabulous book.
