Unless : A Novel
Author(s): Carol Shields
“Nothing short of astonishing.” — New Yorker
“A thing of beauty—lucidly written, artfully ordered, riddled with riddles and undergirded with dark layers of philosophical meditations.” — Los Angeles Times
For all of her life, 44 year old Reta Winters has enjoyed the useful monotony of happiness: a loving family, good friends, growing success as a writer of light 'summertime' fiction. But this placid existence is cracked wide open when her beloved eldest daughter, Norah, drops out to sit on a gritty street corner, silent but for the sign around her neck that reads 'GOODNESS.' Reta's search for what drove her daughter to such a desperate statement turns into an unflinching and surprisingly funny meditation on where we find meaning and hope.
The final book from Pulitzer Prize-winner Carol Shields, Unless, is a harrowing but ultimately consoling story of one family's anguish and healing, proving Shields's mastery of extraordinary fictions about ordinary life.
Review(s):
“A landmark book...yet another noteworthy addition to Shields’s impressive body of work.”
“A brave, profound, and quirky novel with an undercurrent of the deeply amusing.”
“A wonderful, powerful book, written in a style which combines simplicity and elegance. I found it deeply moving.”
“Finely detailed, thoughtful and sometimes even humorous, this book is highly recommended for all fiction collections.”
“Often quietly heartbreaking...often, bitingly humorous.”
“Marvelously idiosyncratic, passionate and wise, Shields’ tenth novel rollicks from beginning to end with sauciness and wit.”
“Nothing short of astonishing.”
“A thing of beauty—lucidly written, artfully ordered, riddled with riddles and undergirded with dark layers of philosophical meditations.”
“With a poet’s precision, Shields dissects grief and makes coping with bad luck feel like domestic heroism.”
“A superb new novel...a graceful coda, an arabesque performed over an abyss.”
Orange Prize for Fiction Finalist
ISBN: 9780060874407