Perris, California
A Novel
(Sprache: Englisch)
"In this unforgettable debut novel, twenty-seven-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, encounters the woman she used to love-leading Tessa to question the very foundations of the life she's...
lieferbar
versandkostenfrei
Buch (Gebunden)
30.90 €
- Lastschrift, Kreditkarte, Paypal, Rechnung
- Kostenlose Rücksendung
Produktdetails
Produktinformationen zu „Perris, California “
Klappentext zu „Perris, California “
"In this unforgettable debut novel, twenty-seven-year-old Tessa, pregnant with her third child and living in a trailer on her mother-in-law's property, encounters the woman she used to love-leading Tessa to question the very foundations of the life she's built Abandoned by first her father and then her mother, as a girl Tessa is left to live with her abusive stepfather and stepbrother. She survives by finding reserves of strength in herself, and by the surprising, transformative love of another teenage girl, Mel, who sees through Tessa's tough exterior to the vulnerable, scarred, loving woman inside. When she suddenly loses Mel, too, Tessa stumbles into a saving grace of a different kind with Henry and his mama, Angie, becoming a mother and finding herself in a familial existence that somehow carries her into adulthood-until the day she runs into Mel, who has just returned to Perris after years away. Filled with violence, tragedy, tenderness, longing, and the unvarnished courage of women living in a mostly unseen America, Perris, California is the utterly gripping story of Tessa's journey from trauma to healing, and it introduces us to one of the most indelible female characters since Bone Boatwright in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina or Ruth Langmore in Ozark"--
Lese-Probe zu „Perris, California “
PROLOGUE 1992
Angie
It was sometime in the middle of the night when Angie woke to a sharp pain in her chest. She put a hand there. She was waiting to see if it would pass when she heard a tapping on her bedroom window. She moved her hand from her chest and shook Buck s shoulder. The tapping got louder. Buck, Angie whispered. Buck,
wake up.
There was the sound of something snapping underfoot outside, and Buck was on his feet. He picked up the flashlight on his night- stand and took his rifle out from under the bed. He and Angie went to the window. He had the light and rifle in hand and ready when he gave the nod to Angie, signaling her to pull back the curtain.
Tessa, Henry s girl, was standing there squinting into the light. The side of her face was blown out so bad that the skin was pulledtaut across the bridge of her nose and the eye on that side was shiny-wet and pinched shut.
Jesus, Angie breathed. She and Buck ran outside to her. The poor thing was leaning up against the house to keep from falling over. She didn t have shoes on, and her feet were torn up and bleed- ing. She was bent and holding one arm in close with the other. Buck stayed froze to the earth a yard away from the girl while Angie walked to her. Tessa was taking in quick, shallow breaths. Her open eye was big and showing all its white. Angie had seen that same look once before in her neighbor s colt when it was pinned down and straining against four grown men; its leg was broken in three places after a bad jump, and there wasn t no coming back from that. Angie walked up to Tessa slow and steady like she d done with the horse before she put a bullet between its eyes.
Easy, baby, she said. Tessa let a sharp exhale out her nose. It s alright now, honey. You re alright. She looked busted up even worse up close. Worse than any of her boys or Buck had ever been after any schoolyard scrap or bar fight. Angie didn t let her face show the sick
... mehr
she was starting to feel. Honey, would it be alright if I have Buck carry you inside so I can help you?
Tessa made no move or change in expression. Angie slowly reached her hand out and touched the side of Tessa s face that wasn t broke. No one s gonna hurt you here. You re safe now. I promise.
Tessa gave a small nod, and Buck came over. When he lifted Tessa, she let out something between a groan and a gurgle. Easy with her, Buck, Angie said.
She had Buck lay her down on the sofa at an angle so the girl would be propped up enough for Angie to get a good look at her. Where you hurting most, honey? Angie said. Tessa didn t speak.
Maybe with the side of her face like that, she couldn t. I m gonna look you over a bit, okay? That way I can help. Angie got down on her knees and closer to the girl. Tessa had her right arm tucked in like a bent wing. It was hanging separate and heavy from her shoulder joint, the way overcooked meat hangs off a bone. With the way she was breathing shallow and the way they had found her leaning outside, Angie guessed there might be a couple cracked ribs beneath the dislocated shoulder. She wasn t gonna move her now to check. The girl was hurting bad enough already.
Angie continued looking her over, placing gentle hands on the girl s body as she went. Her eyes stopped when they hit the pee blooming on the sofa cushion between Tessa s legs. Tessa s wide, flat stare finally broke when Angie looked up and met her eye after seeing that she d wet her pants. Tessa s lip turned out, and she started a noiseless cry. Angie got up off her knees quick to sweep her mother s quilt off the family hope che
Tessa made no move or change in expression. Angie slowly reached her hand out and touched the side of Tessa s face that wasn t broke. No one s gonna hurt you here. You re safe now. I promise.
Tessa gave a small nod, and Buck came over. When he lifted Tessa, she let out something between a groan and a gurgle. Easy with her, Buck, Angie said.
She had Buck lay her down on the sofa at an angle so the girl would be propped up enough for Angie to get a good look at her. Where you hurting most, honey? Angie said. Tessa didn t speak.
Maybe with the side of her face like that, she couldn t. I m gonna look you over a bit, okay? That way I can help. Angie got down on her knees and closer to the girl. Tessa had her right arm tucked in like a bent wing. It was hanging separate and heavy from her shoulder joint, the way overcooked meat hangs off a bone. With the way she was breathing shallow and the way they had found her leaning outside, Angie guessed there might be a couple cracked ribs beneath the dislocated shoulder. She wasn t gonna move her now to check. The girl was hurting bad enough already.
Angie continued looking her over, placing gentle hands on the girl s body as she went. Her eyes stopped when they hit the pee blooming on the sofa cushion between Tessa s legs. Tessa s wide, flat stare finally broke when Angie looked up and met her eye after seeing that she d wet her pants. Tessa s lip turned out, and she started a noiseless cry. Angie got up off her knees quick to sweep her mother s quilt off the family hope che
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von Rachel Stark
Rachel Stark grew up in Perris, California. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from University of California, Riverside, and her master’s degree in creative writing at University of California, Davis. She currently resides in southern Colorado where she writes, runs mountain trails, and teaches yoga.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Rachel Stark
- 2024, 368 Seiten, Maße: 15,8 x 23,6 cm, Gebunden, Englisch
- Verlag: Penguin Random House
- ISBN-10: 0593656202
- ISBN-13: 9780593656204
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Advance praise for Perris, CaliforniaAn emotionally charged portrait of two women s painful family histories and their uneasy reunion in California s Inland Empire . . . Fans of Dorothy Allison or Pam Houston ought to seek this out. Publishers Weekly
An extraordinary debut that insists that we can and must mend each other. Kirkus (starred review)
Some stories grab you, shake you to the core, and never let you go, demanding you to stare into the heart of human depravity and resilience. Other stories capture you by stealth, quiet beauty unfolding in ordinary moments: a conversation round a table, the unexpected smile of a neighbor, the wind on your face as you run. Harrowing, evocative, and deeply moving, Perris, California does both. Rachel Stark reminds us that in the smallest acts of kindness center the most enormous acts of love. This is a remarkable novel of human beings fully being where what we do to each other sits side by side with what we do for each other. Sarah Blake, author of The Postmistress
Perris, California is a remarkable, audacious, and truly original debut. Stark s characters are incandescent in their fierce desire not just for survival but for love and redemption. This novel will live alongside classics of young womanhood by Kaye Gibbons, Helena Maria Viramontes, Maya Angelou, and yes, Dorothy Allison. Susan Straight, author of bestsellers Mecca and In the Country of Women
Rachel Stark s beautiful debut novel is a gripping portrayal of generational trauma suffered by women living in rural poverty. But this heartbreaking story is ultimately one of healing and hope as she reminds us of our capacity for forgiveness and understanding. Tracey Lange, author of We Are the Brennans
Perris, California is a glorious debut from the magnificent Rachel Stark who writes from the soul when she is not writing from the heart. This is a novel set in the
... mehr
invisible America, the land of hopes and dreams if one happens to be lucky. Tessa has bouts of luck and longing, amidst circumstances out of her control. This is not only a story of trauma and survival, it will rouse your deepest well of empathy and have you rooting for a woman you may have never met. You will know her now, in this dazzling debut. Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
... weniger
Kommentar zu "Perris, California"
Schreiben Sie einen Kommentar zu "Perris, California".
Kommentar verfassen