The Drowned Life (P.S.) and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more



or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading The Drowned Life (P.S.) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Drowned Life (P.S.) [Paperback]

Jeffrey Ford
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.95
Price: $12.65 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $2.30 (15%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it tomorrow, June 20? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $7.99  
Paperback, Bargain Price $11.97  
Paperback, November 4, 2008 $12.65  
Summer Reading
Summer Reading
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store.

Book Description

November 4, 2008 P.S.

There is a town that brews a strange intoxicant from a rare fruit called the deathberry—and once a year a handful of citizens are selected to drink it. . . .

There is a life lived beneath the water—among rotted buildings and bloated corpses—by those so overburdened by the world's demands that they simply give up and go under. . . .

In this mesmerizing blend of the familiar and the fantastic, multiple award-winning New York Times notable author Jeffrey Ford creates true wonders and infuses the mundane with magic. In tales marked by his distinctive, dark imagery and fluid, exhilarating prose, he conjures up an annual gale that transforms the real into the impossible, invents a strange scribble that secretly unites a significant portion of society, and spins the myriad dreams of a restless astronaut and his alien lover. Bizarre, beautiful, unsettling, and sublime, The Drowned Life showcases the exceptional talents of one of contemporary fiction's most original artists.


Special Offers and Product Promotions


Frequently Bought Together

The Drowned Life (P.S.) + Crackpot Palace: Stories
Price for both: $24.30

Buy the selected items together
  • Crackpot Palace: Stories $11.65


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following close upon the release of The Shadow Year, Edgar-winner Ford's third collection leads readers down dark and subtle passageways onto some very strange turf. In the title story, people drown and end up in a submerged city whose inhabitants are scornful of anyone wanting to return to the surface; a man named Hatch is compelled to escape Drowned Town in order to uphold a promise to his son. Similar metaphors of submersion are applied to drastically different effect in The Manticore Spell, The Dismantled Invention of Fate and In the House of Four Seasons. In Night Whiskey, the book's strangest tale, two men must roust slumbering drunks from trees after an annual festival; in addition to sending celebrants literally up a tree, the special once-a-year bash also features visitations with dead relatives, and what begins as near-slapstick ends with disturbing revelations and a loss of innocence. Throughout these 16 stories, Ford covers much stylistic terrain, weaving between science fiction, realistic stories with fantastic elements and even some nearly straight-up (and successful) comedy. Readers of all stripes should be able to find something here to love. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Sometimes we read something and immediately think of a friend who would really like it. This collection of short stories from the author of The Shadow Year contains some of the most unusual and provocative settings and plots this reviewer has ever encountered, which will make it perfect for book talking to patrons. The first story features a man who, filled with the pressures of daily life, finds himself at the bottom of the sea in a place called Drowned Town, on the run from sharks called Financial Ruin. In "The Night Whiskey," local citizens win a chance to drink a magical berry liquor that enables them to experience the dream of a lifetime, only this year the results are quite shocking. In "The Scribble Mind," an art student stumbles onto an elaborate conspiracy where a select few can remember something that gives them exclusive membership into a special society. Sometimes shocking, sometimes mesmerizing, sometimes humorous, this collection will please fans of Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Connor. Recommended for libraries where short story collections are popular.—Kellie Gillespie, City of Mesa Lib., AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 290 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow; First Edition edition (November 4, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061435066
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061435065
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #849,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(13)
4.8 out of 5 stars
3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Incredible Worlds of Jeffrey Ford November 20, 2008
Format:Paperback
The Drowned Life is Jeffrey Ford's third short story collection and it may be his best yet.

The title story that kicks things off is nothing short of a minor miracle, a surrealistic adventure that's equally heartbreaking, harrowing, and funny. And I mean honestly, laugh out loud three or four times, funny.

In the story, Ford's everyman, Hatch, finds that his financial woes (along with the dark specter of world events and working a soul sapping job) have manifested as a growing tide that he must continuously bail himself out of. When he finally loses the will to keep bailing, he finds himself in "Drowned Town," an underwater city populated by everyone who has "gone under."

One of the risks of surrealism, it seems to me, is that once the reader has entered a dreamscape, the consequences for the characters can lose weight. One of the most impressive things Ford does in "The Drowned Life" (and elsewhere) is retain every bit of gravitas even given the absurdity of the milieu. When Hatch calls home to apologize to his wife for going under, the pathos is genuine. When Hatch tries to navigate through Drowned Town to rescue his son from a rowdy party, his desperation is palpable.

The title story sets the bar incredibly high for whatever follows, yet Ford manages to almost reach that level several more times - in the mobius strip plots of "Under the Bottom of the Lake" and "The Dismantled Invention of Fate," the Bradbury-esque "The Night Whiskey," and the inspired premise of "The Scribble Mind" (you'll never look at a two-year-old's artwork the same way again after reading this one).

Critics love to proclaim a writer as having an "original voice.
... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review the Drowned Life November 13, 2008
Format:Paperback
The drowned life is an interesting collection of stories from Jeffery Ford. Ford has written a number of very good books, but this collection of shorts is probably the most interesting peek into the worlds that he has created and built. Usually short story collections can be tedious to read, or filled with half-seen ideas, or incomplete in some way, this book does not carry that burden. The stories are tight and well defined; these are the best, not the low hanging fruit from files that should have stayed on a computer.

The premise behind the shorts is that if you drown and die, you will end up in the underwater world of the dead. There are as many stories in this city as there are decaying corpses, which is what makes the premise of the book unique. The framework is the revisiting of events and moments in life, much like a death dream, with the added penalty of being dead already. No matter the promises that people make, this book approaches a number of good archetypal issues. Loss of innocence, promises made that need to be kept, wild youth and lost days. This book slyly moves between science fiction and fantasy to near reality. What happens to people when it looks right, but everything seems to go wrong as well. These were some very interesting stories to read, and some truly thought provoking as well. How we handle the situations we find ourselves in, is how we work out our issues, and how we tell we are alive. What happens if we carry that on through death, and how death is defined?

Engaging and interesting to read, this was a stay up all night reading the book kind of book. Interesting stories that are well tied together using a novel framework. This is some of Fords best work, leaves the reader fulfilled that there is a reason why this book was written.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Upward Spiral February 28, 2009
Format:Paperback
Jeffrey Ford has a flair for the most speculative of speculative fiction, with storylines that are so creative and surreal that the unlikeliest lessons on human nature are in store for the adventurous reader. It's hard to put your finger precisely on the source of Ford's uniqueness, but it definitely comes down to sheer powers of the imagination. The result is a mix of inner space sci-fi, dark fantasy, and psychological horror in which creeping dread mixes with, and somehow becomes, optimism and insight.

This collection's opener, "The Drowned Life," is a perfect example, developing from a unique (and timely) premise about people literally drowning in a sea of debt and misfortune. Other winners that develop from offbeat ideas into haunting lessons for humanity include "The Night Whiskey," "The Scribble Mind," and "The Dreaming Wind." Ford also has a knack for turning semi-autobiographical vignettes into weirdly surreal plotlines, and he is also quite adept at building a sense of dread from the vaguely supernatural. That last talent can be a source of difficulty however, with some tales like "Under the Bottom of the Lake" and "in the House of Four Seasons" becoming a little too abstract for truly fulfilling resolutions to their mysteries. But in the end, there is something strangely original about Jeffrey Ford's vision, and his unique creativity is perfectly introduced in this collection. [~doomsdayer520~]
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "Never forget what you least expect" September 28, 2009
Format:Paperback
Channeling the gravitas of Borges and Calvino, Jeffrey Ford's collection of short stories titled The Drowned Life, though at times overreaching in scope, sublimely conjures a sense of sheer wonder and befuddlement when confronted with the intersection of everyday life and the dreams that shape it, or are shaped by it.

Ford alternates his stories between the subtle and grandiose, the mundane and the outlandish, incorporating through each a pervasive sense of mystery and weirdness. When he is not detailing the wisdom of a soothsaying octopus, a town's dependence upon an annual, magical breeze, and the peculiar behavior surrounding the annual "deathberry" drinkers, he describes the power contained within an overlooked scribble, an apartment's potentially haunting flicker of light, losing a Chinese curse in a poker game, and the dictated writings of a comatose daughter through her mother.

This see-saw between the highly fantastical and the merely strange begs careful attention and even patience of the reader, noting the eternal truth that things are never what they seem. Several stories, especially that which introduces the fascinating Madame Mutandis, are deserving of their own novels. The Drowned Life is a deep and resonating read.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Imagination
If your bored of reading the same old hero saves the day or vampire drama novel and want to open your mind a little Jeffrey Ford does a masterful job at setting you within a world... Read more
Published on January 11, 2011 by S. Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, Poignant, and Surreal
Jeffrey Ford is one of my new favorite authors, and The Drowned Life is a perfect introduction into the fantastic world of Jeffrey Ford. Read more
Published on September 2, 2010 by Steven Gargolinski
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best genre collections
This rivals Jeffrey Ford's earlier "The Empire of Ice Cream" collection that was published as a lovely hardcover initially and is now available in paperback as well. Read more
Published on January 17, 2010 by Calibandar
4.0 out of 5 stars Curious stories, usually excellent
I've been reading Ford's short stories in a few places over the last year or two, and have enjoyed every single one. Read more
Published on November 6, 2009 by A. D. MacFarlane
5.0 out of 5 stars gone fishing
Love Ford! At first I thought ug-oh. Hate short stories...but two sentences in, he had me hooked and reeled me in looking for more!
Published on June 17, 2009 by S. LAVENDER
5.0 out of 5 stars A solid 5 stars.
Ford's words will create images that take your breath away. Simply put, this is one of the best compilations of short fiction that I have ever read. Read more
Published on May 2, 2009 by Morgan Tribala
4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly excellent collection by Jeffrey Ford
Generally when someone says that "Story X alone is worth the price of the book!", they mean that Story X is the only one in the book worth reading. Read more
Published on March 12, 2009 by T. Davenport
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Ford
If you've read Ford, then you probably already own this or have it on your wishlist. If you're unfamiliar with Ford's work or speculative fiction in general, then you owe it to... Read more
Published on February 26, 2009 by Jay D. Swartzfeger
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
This is an excellent sixteen story collection that runs the gamut from sci fi to surreal to realism while following the travails of everyday people forced (sometimes by their... Read more
Published on November 4, 2008 by Harriet Klausner
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category