The Wasp Eater
by William Lychack
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The first novel by an author already featured in The Best American Short Stories and National Public Radio's This American Life, The Wasp Eater charts the raw emotional undercurrents of a family in crisis. Set in an old New England mill town in 1979, this magnetic novel is the story of a ten-year-old boy's dream of reuniting his estranged parents, a haunting tale of characters caught in the crossfire of their desires and fears. After learning of her husband's infidelity, Daniel's mother show more throws the man and his things out of the house. But Robert Cussler is a stubborn and impulsive man, and he returns almost nightly to his son's window. Through the moonlit screen, father and son secretly plot ways to make the family whole again. Daniel's chosen plan goes horribly wrong, and he finds himself accompanying his father on one final betrayal of everything the boy knows and loves. At once dreamlike and clear-eyed, The Wasp Eater poignantly uncovers the depths of emotion that echo through regular lives, and the surprising human capacity for resilience after heartbreak. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is the kind of book I love! I knew nothing about it before I read it. I chose it just from the cover art and the briefest of looks at the blurb. It turned out to be a creepy kind of family story.
A couple with a ten-year-old son separate after the wife finds out her husband has been sleeping with another woman. The dad is not ready to give up his relationship with his son so he sneaks up to the son's window at night to visit. This has the boy confused. The entire story plays out with the relationships between the immediate members of this family - father, mother, son, and one female cousin.
This was a disturbing tale that I could not put down. The quiet, mesmerizing prose gave me an uncomfortable feeling that something unexpected show more and terrible was about to happen. Difficult family relationships are always sad, but the feelings and ambivalence of this young boy and the way they were expressed by the author turned into a very sad, exquisite story. show less
A couple with a ten-year-old son separate after the wife finds out her husband has been sleeping with another woman. The dad is not ready to give up his relationship with his son so he sneaks up to the son's window at night to visit. This has the boy confused. The entire story plays out with the relationships between the immediate members of this family - father, mother, son, and one female cousin.
This was a disturbing tale that I could not put down. The quiet, mesmerizing prose gave me an uncomfortable feeling that something unexpected show more and terrible was about to happen. Difficult family relationships are always sad, but the feelings and ambivalence of this young boy and the way they were expressed by the author turned into a very sad, exquisite story. show less
From the perspective (mostly) of a young boy whose parents separate and whose father is a con-man alcoholic type. Very well-written but a tiny bit slight.
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- Languages
- English
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- Paper
- ISBNs
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- UPCs
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