Bump: A Novel [Paperback]

Diana Wagman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

Bump is the story of a trio of motorists and one policeman linked together by a tangled, life-altering web of coincidence in the immediate aftermath of a three-car pile-up in Los Angeles. Dorothy is to be married in less than twenty-four hours but can't shake the memory of her ex-boyfriend. Madelyn is a married mother of two who falls in love with a double amputee she met through a suicide hotline. Leo is a golden-eyed Latino who speaks no Spanish and has come to L.A. to reclaim his girlfriend. Ray is a Beverly Hills cop who is obsessed with suicide, and whose wife has just left him. Diana Wagman's fast-paced and vividly cinematic narrative presents an engrossing tableau of synchronicity steered by obsession and alienation. Beautifully written and deeply affecting, Bump is hard to put down, and hard to forget.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Wagman is making something of a name for herself in the world of edgy fiction. Her first novel, Skin Deep (1997), was about a young woman's disturbing obsession with her physical appearance, while her second novel, Spontaneous (2000), addressed the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion. Her newest book follows the lives of four total strangers whose paths have crossed after a three-car accident on an L.A. freeway. Dorothy, a hapless twentysomething, is about to marry a man she doesn't love; Madelyn is a depressed, unhappily married mother of two who has fallen in love with a client at the suicide hot line where she volunteers; Leo, who survived a nasty childhood with an abusive father, lives in his car; and Ray is a Beverly Hills cop obsessed with suicide whose wife has recently left him. The characters all have a slightly morbid quality, not a lighthearted one in the bunch. However, despite the relentlessly dark subject matter, Wagman's writing has a hypnotic, rhythmic quality that keeps the reader interested till the end. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"[Diana Wagman's] minidramas recall Ann Beattie's or Lorrie Moore's clarity."

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786712767
• ISBN-13: 978-0786712762
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #228,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars such mood..., March 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Bump: A Novel (Hardcover)

diana wagman does an amazing job of setting a mood with her language. this is one of those books that make you feel sad, but in such a good way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one seriously good book, April 13, 2003

By 

Jessica "Jessica" (Oakland, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bump: A Novel (Hardcover)

Because I loved this book so much, I already gave it to a friend, who then bought it for a friend of hers. thus, I'm not going to spend time telling you what it's about. The Booklist review above can do that.

This is the kind of novel that you will truly read in two days. The writing is exciting and quick, the characters interesting and weird and true, and the plot, point-of-view shifts, and dialogue all first rate.

You will not be disappointed by this read in the least.

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that can't be put down!, June 29, 2011

By 

NR (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bump: A Novel (Paperback)

I loved Bump and could hardly wait to find the time to read it. I am a real gym brat and take classes virtually every night. Bump was so engrossing that I worked out on the elliptical machine rather than take a zumba class so that I could continue reading the book! That should say it all! Bump has several stories going at once. It was hard to imagine how they were going to come together but Diana Wagman manages it beautifully. I'm looking forward to reading other books by her.