{"product_id":"9781555978341","title":"The Gulf : A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Belle Boggs\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hilarious send-up of writing workshops, for-profit education, and the gulf between believers and nonbelievers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarianne is in a slump: barely able to support herself by teaching, not making progress on her poetry, about to lose her Brooklyn apartment. When her novelist ex-fiancé, Eric, and his venture capitalist brother, Mark, offer her a job directing a low-residency school for Christian writers at a motel they’ve inherited on Florida’s Gulf Coast, she can’t come up with a reason to say no. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Genesis Inspirational Writing Ranch is born, and liberal, atheist Marianne is soon knee-deep in applications from writers whose political and religious beliefs she has always opposed but whose money she’s glad to take. Janine is a schoolteacher whose heartfelt poems explore the final days of Terri Schiavo’s life. Davonte is a former R\u0026amp;B superstar who hopes to reboot his career with a bestselling tale of excess and redemption. Lorraine and Tom, eccentric writers in need of paying jobs, join the Ranch as instructors. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMark finds an investor in God’s Word God’s World, a business that develops for-profit schools for the Christian market, but the conditions that come along with their support become increasingly problematic, especially as Marianne grows closer to the students. As unsavory allegations mount, a hurricane bears down on the Ranch, and Marianne is faced with the consequences of her decisions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith sharp humor and deep empathy, \u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e is a memorable debut novel in which Belle Boggs plumbs the troubled waters dividing America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A strikingly original satire.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSouthern Living \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Belle Boggs is a witty, incisive writer, and \u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e, her first novel, deftly satirizes everything from for-profit schools to the MFA industrial complex, American liberals and conservatives, and the hypocrisies of both sides.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eStar Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e(Minneapolis)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boggs nails the launching point for her satire of for-profit education and the unholy links between manipulation, money, and writing. But \u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e is more than just a witty parody: Boggs uses the Ranch as a lens through which to examine our fractured country, where the inability to allow for ambivalence keeps us separated by a gulf. In Boggs’s ultimately redemptive novel, it is language—poetry—that bridges that gulf.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBOMB \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e] illuminates the ways our political and religious beliefs are often rooted in the stories we tell ourselves about love and family.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Christian Century\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This is one of the most entertaining novels you’ll read all year.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eGreensboro News \u0026amp; Record \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Not to be missed. A rare combination of silliness and poignancy, with momentum and compassion. . . . This is a novel of keen comedy, insight and empathy.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A smart, slightly kooky exploration of art and money, faith and politics.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e] beautifully balances absurdity and emotional depth, complete with a bombastic state representative, an epiphanic hurricane, and Marianne's journey, if not to faith, then to salvation.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Readers will find this witty, nuanced work both satisfying and resonant.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] wildly engaging exploration of characters finding their way through connection, and through language.”\u003cb\u003e—Aimee Bender\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e is literally a DIVINE read—it's also smart, profound, very funny, and finally redemptive.”\u003cb\u003e—Lee Smith\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Belle Boggs has established herself as both a stellar writer of fiction and a brilliant voice on important issues within our society; in this fine novel, her many talents come together.”\u003cb\u003e—Jill McCorkle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“It’s an amazing novel. You have to read it.”\u003cb\u003e—Kevin Wilson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e“The Gulf\u003c\/i\u003e is a hilarious and healing novel for these polarized times. Reading it consumed my nights, and gave me hope.”\u003cb\u003e—Tania James\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A smart, funny, and hugely entertaining tale.”\u003cb\u003e—Jonathan Evison\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781555978341\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Graywolf Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40706813460686,"sku":"9781555978341","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_307be262-601a-4462-a33c-9aaadc425008.jpg?v=1640579115","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781555978341","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}