Drive Like Hell: A Novel [Paperback]

Dallas Hudgens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007

Luke Fulmer belongs behind the wheel of a car. Taught to drive at the age of ten by his father, Luke can do more damage with a stick and a clutch than most men can do with a bottle of whiskey and a lousy mood. He counts down the days to his sixteenth birthday when he can finally get his license. Unfortunately, the first thing he does with it is "borrow" his neighbor's car.

When Luke is pulled over and found in possession of an air pistol, a ski mask, a stolen TV, and a bag of pot, the unforgiving local magistrate takes scissors to his license and vows to lock him up if he ever stands in front of her again. As Luke's mother explores bad relationships and the lure of vodka, Luke moves in with his older brother, Nick, an easygoing ex-con who wants to steer Luke onto the straight and narrow. In the gnarled, muggy summer that follows, Luke contends with a lovely kleptomaniac girlfriend, a duffel bag full of cocaine, and the realization that he must save his family from themselves even as he plots to beat a path out of town.

Dubbed the "Great American Redneck Novel" by Big Fish author Daniel Wallace, Drive Like Hell is a hilarious one-of-a-kind tale set in late '70s Georgia, complete with stock car racing, honky-tonk dancing, pro wrestling, drug dealing, and syndicated television. Dallas Hudgens brilliantly evokes Southern culture in this unforgettable debut that is raucous and wrenching, funny and wise.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sixteen-year-old Luke Fulmer gets an education in misbehaving in Hudgens's raucous, Southern-fried bildungsroman. Luke hasn't had the greatest role models: his gorgeous mom, Claudia, needs her soaps like a wino needs his Thunderbird; his deadbeat dad, Lyndell, gets Luke involved in a B and E within 24 hours of seeing him for the first time in a decade; and his older brother, Nick, has done time twice for dealing drugs. It's Georgia in 1979, where Luke steals his brother's nickel bags for pocket money and his neighbor's car for errands—that is, until he smashes it into a tree. He loses his license, is forced to take a job as a busboy at the Holiday Inn, and has to move in with his brother—after all, isn't Nick walking the straight-and-narrow these days? Not hardly: he may have a landscaping business, a decent golf game and a band, Puss N' Booze, but he's also got a nice cocaine trade. Then Luke falls for a kleptomaniac, Nick lands in jail, and Luke has to play pick-up man in a drug drop. Hudgens's sharp dialogue sparkles throughout, and the cat-and-mouse confrontations between Luke, Nick and the local lawmen are particularly funny. Hudgens's takes on car racing, Claudia's dating, Luke's first love and Nick's attempts to teach Luke his dubious keys to success also shine in this shaggy but thoroughly enjoyable debut.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

When Luke Fulmer was just 10 years old, his father--an amateur stock-car driver--taught him to drive, saying, "It's best to learn young." Luke turns 16 in 1979 and finally gets his much-anticipated driver's license, but he immediately steals his neighbor's car and smashes it, so the local magistrate suspends his license. His overwhelmed mother, Claudia, has had enough: her oldest son, Nick, is already a two-time felon. She decides to spend the summer elsewhere, and she sends Luke to live with his brother Nick, hoping he'll learn from Nick's mistakes. So begins an endless summer during which Luke works pit crew for a stock car driver, dates a kleptomaniac, meets Jack Nicklaus (the golfer), and retrieves a duffel bag of cocaine for his brother. He also does a lot of illegal driving and learns that there is nowhere in the world he feels more in control than behind the wheel of a car. It's a good thing, too, because young Luke must keep it together while his family, his girlfriend, and maybe even his future are all taking a dive. Jerry Eberle
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074326181X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743261814
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,062,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely well written, refreshing novel, April 4, 2005

By 

W. R. Pursche "author of 'Lessons to Live By:... (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drive Like Hell: A Novel (Hardcover)

Dallas Hudgens has pulled off quite a coup: for once we can read about a dysfunctional family with enjoyment and not depression. Because the characters are so well developed, their particular eccentricities and challenges are understandable and poignant. Luke, a 16 year old, is at the cusp of true manhood, being shaped by his mother and brother, and although his father has left the family, he has cast a long shadow of influence over Luke as well.
All these forces pull Luke in different directions as he copes with one of the most important (from a teenager's perspective) events in his life -- getting his first license. Hudgens does a great job of picking an event and process (the driving test, the responsibility that comes with driving, the fear of losing the license, etc.) that mirrors the entry into adulthood.
Luke is a study in contrasts, often somewhat older than his years and at other times the impetuous teenager, thinking only of the moment. Hudgens has marvelously captured the feeling of growing up. His style reminds me of Carl Hiassen, with the same quality of characterization, but without the zaniness. The prose is compelling and beautifully captures the essence and spirit of the time and place. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read with compelling characters, March 28, 2005

By 

D. Chavern (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drive Like Hell: A Novel (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I read it while on Spring Break with my kids and I enjoyed every minute of it. Hudgens is a great first time author with a real talent for (i) being funny, and (ii) slowly building compelling characters. There is even a little action and love interest thrown in for good measure. He also has a great ear for dialogue -- particularly Southern-inspired dialogue. However, you don't have to come from the South to enjoy it (I am from PA). I look forward to a sequel where Luke follows his dream and becomes a bail bondsman!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Driving Success!, February 24, 2005

By 

A READER (NEW YORK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drive Like Hell: A Novel (Hardcover)

Wow. I could not put this book down. From the first page to the last, I couldn't believe the twists, turns and fast-paced action. it's the seventies, man, in all its polyester and hardrock glory. it is more than that. this book has soul, sass and all the longing of a GREAT country music ballad. yes, it's funny but when you're laughing along with the wonderful characters you're also nodding in recognition. AS i told my friends: Buy it, Read it, Love it like hell.