Beautiful Children

Zusatztext “One word: bravo.” — The New York Times Book Review   “Truly powerful . . . Beautiful Children dazzles its readers on almost every page. . . . [Charles Bock] knows how to tug at your heart! and he knows how to make you laugh out loud! often on the same page! sometimes in the same sentence.” — Newsweek   “Exceptional . . . This novel deserves to be read more than once because of the extraordinary importance of its subject matter.” — The Washington Post Book World   “Magnificent . . . a hugely ambitious novel that succeeds . . . Beautiful Children manages to feel completely of its moment while remaining unaffected by literary trends. . . . Charles Bock is the real thing.” — The New Republic   “A wildly satisfying and disturbing literary journey! led by an author of blazing talent.” — The Dallas Morning News   “Wholly original—dirty! fast! and hypnotic. The sentences flicker and skip and whirl.” — Esquire   “An anxious! angry! honest first novel filled with compassion and clarity . . . The language has a rhythm wholly its own—at moments it is stunning! near genius.” —A. M. Homes   “From start to finish! Bock never stops tantalizing the reader.” — San Francisco Chronicle   “Rich and compelling . . . captures the hallucinogenic setting like a fever dream.” — Los Angeles Times Informationen zum Autor Charles Bock Klappentext Charles Bock was born in Las Vegas! Nevada. He has an MFA from Bennington College and has received fellowships from Yaddo! UCross! and the Vermont Studio Center. He lives in New York Cit Chapter 1 WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS 4–6:30 P.M. 1.1 The lens zooms in, then draws back. The images are shaky: a celebration, that much is clear; children in bright orange jerseys and matching baseball caps, some worn backward, or with bills to the side. They chatter and jibe, passing pitchers of soda, reaching for slices with favorite toppings. Chins shine with grease. Smiles glow as if smeared with lipstick. One boy sits a bit away from the rest, toward the end of the table. He is pretty much the same size as everyone else—pudgier than some, smaller than others. He’s not wearing a cap, though, and the poor resolution of the camcorder makes it look as if the top of his skull might be consumed in flame. But no. Another second shows nothing more dangerous than a mass of bright red hair. The child leans forward now, his jersey bunching around his shoulders. Attempting to convince the nearest teammate to unscrew the top of a salt shaker, his freckled face is animated, lively. Dude, we can hear him say. Come on. Come on, dude. A punch to the shoulder answers him. He squeals, though not unhappily. Dick. The camcorder’s microphone catches the tail end of a reprimand from an unseen adult. It catches the boy’s protest, It wasn’t me! By this time, though, focus is shifting, swinging toward the middle of the table, where coaches and other adults subdue a slap fight. After a few seconds, a semblance of decorum is reached; the presentation of the next trophy begins, and the camera pans down the length of the table, showing children in varying states of interest. And here judicious use of the fast-forward cues a final appearance by the redheaded boy, for just a few seconds, a short sequence—he directs a sneering remark toward the action; when his neighbor does not respond, the boy sinks into his chair. The flesh of his cheeks lengthens, goes slack. Small eyes cloud, turn dark. This sequence, these scant seconds, are why the Ewings tracked down that videotape. Because recent photos were supposed to work best, were supposed to give a potential witness the best chance at identification. So Lincoln and Lorraine would stand at the front door of a nice couple wh...

Product details

• Authors: Charles Bock
• Publisher: Random House USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 13.01.2009
• EAN: 9780812977967
• ISBN: 978-0-8129-7796-7
• No. of pages: 418
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 202 mm x 23 mm
• Series: Random House Publishing Group
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature