The Leisure Seeker : A Novel
Author(s): Michael Zadoorian
Now a major motion picture starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, coming January 2018 from Sony Pictures Classics
Official Selection
Toronto Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
“The Leisure Seeker is pretty much like life itself: joyous, painful, moving, tragic, mysterious, and not to be missed.”—Booklist, starred review
The Robinas have shared a wonderful life for more than sixty years. Now in their eighties, Ella suffers from cancer and John has Alzheimer's. Yearning for one last adventure, the self-proclaimed "down-on-their-luck geezers" kidnap themselves from the adult children and doctors who seem to run their lives and steal away from their home in suburban Detroit on a forbidden vacation of rediscovery.
With Ella as his vigilant copilot, John steers their '78 Leisure Seeker RV along the forgotten roads of Route 66 toward Disneyland in search of a past they're having a damned hard time remembering. Yet Ella is determined to prove that, when it comes to life, you can go back for seconds—even when everyone says you can't.
Review(s):
“Ella is a remarkable creation...Her middle-aged children’s panicked demands that the couple return home will resonate with any adult who has feared for a parent’s well-being. he Leisure Seeker is pretty much like life itself: joyous, painful, moving, tragic, mysterious, and not to be missed.”
“Zadoorian’s pace is deceptive, it’s restful. But unexpected scenes jump out at you. Come to the end and you’ll say ‘Oh my God.’”
“In this affecting road novel, an elderly married couple leave their Detroit home and take off in their camper for one last adventure together… it’s impossible to deny that Ella’s wise, feisty voice turns what could be a sappy melodrama into an authentic and funny love story.”
“A beautifully simple story…readable, frequently funny, sometimes all too realistically poignant…This is Detroit-area writer Zadoorian’s second book; watch him; he’s going places.”
“Michael Zadoorian’s bittersweet story about two runaways who are in their 80s and in failing health could be a lovely film… I could see Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine in the lead roles…Call it Kerouac-lite. It’s On the Road with shorter sentences and less drugs and sex.”
“A wonderful novel, poignant and salty and full of those small, clear truths that become important when one draws close to the end of the road…Author Michael Zadoorian has captured an American icon in the forthright and feisty Ella…Read it before it becomes the next big thing.”
“Michael Zadoorian serves up an affectionate, clear-eyed peek at a pair of self styled “down–on–their–luck geezers” who just aren’t ready to go gentle into that good night…Here’s to hoping that we all handle our last days so well.”
“An elderly couple face down death by taking one last, thoroughly unauthorized vacation…A bittersweet fable of the golden years likely to offer consolation to readers who’ve ever known anyone old, or have plans to get old themselves.”
“Second Hand is a wonderful book about life at yard sales, garage sales, and the like, where many antiques begin their journey ‘up the ladder’ into the upper retail realms.”
“Zadoorian has done no less than re-invent the American road story. These Easy Riders—drugged-up on meds, desperately in need of their naps, and determined to enjoy every last moment—are some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever met on the page.”
ISBN: 9780061671791