Oliver Loving
By Stefan Merrill Block"A dazzling novel about love, loss, and the mysteries of the mind."
-- David Ebershoff, Bestselling author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife
"A breathtaking tale of tragedy and redemption... A triumph" -- People
A family in crisis, a town torn apart, and the boy who holds the secret has been cocooned in a coma for ten years.
One warm, West Texas November night, a shy boy named Oliver Loving joins his classmates at Bliss County Day School's annual dance, hoping for a glimpse of the object of his unrequited affections, an enigmatic Junior named Rebekkah Sterling. But as the music plays, a troubled young man sneaks in through the school's back door. The dire choices this man makes that evening --and the unspoken story he carries-- will tear the town of Bliss, Texas apart.
Nearly ten years later, Oliver Loving still lies wordless and paralyzed at Crockett State Assisted Care Facility, the fate of his mind unclear. Orbiting the stillpoint of Oliver's hospital bed is a family transformed: Oliver's mother, Eve, who keeps desperate vigil; Oliver's brother, Charlie, who has fled for New York City only to discover he cannot escape the gravity of his shattered family; Oliver's father, Jed, who tries to erase his memories with bourbon. And then there is Rebekkah Sterling, Oliver's teenage love, who left Texas long ago and still refuses to speak about her own part in that tragic night. When a new medical test promises a key to unlock Oliver's trapped mind, the town's unanswered questions resurface with new urgency, as Oliver's doctors and his family fight for a way for Oliver to finally communicate-- and so also to tell the truth of what really happened that fateful night.
A moving meditation on the transformative power of grief and love, a slyly affectionate look at the idiosyncrasies of family, and an emotionally-charged page-turner, Stefan Merill Block's Oliver Loving is an extraordinarily original novel that ventures into the unknowable and returns with the most fundamental truths.
show more
Book details
- Hardcover
- 400 pages
- English
- 1250169739
- 9781250169730
About Stefan Merrill Block
stefan grew up in plano, texas. his first book, the story of forgetting, was an international bestseller and the winner of best first fiction at the rome i Read More about Stefan Merrill Block
More Books By Stefan Merrill Block
People who bought this also bought
Ethics for Earthlings; A Revolution in Values; How to Triumph Over Morality
Used Book
Internet Prophets: Enlightened E-Business Strategies for Every Budget
Used Book
Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown
New Book
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
New Book
Life without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too
Used Book
...and the Horse He Rode in on : People Vs. Kenneth Starr
Used Book
Sincerely yours: Discovering the Treasures of God's written Word-Volume One
Used Book
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Collaboration (with featured article Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership, by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis)
New Book
Loving without Spoiling : And 100 Other Timeless Tips for Raising Terrific Kids
Used Book
Think Small: The Surprisingly Simple Ways to Reach Big Goals by Owain Service
New Book