East Fifth Bliss [Paperback]

Douglas Light (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2007

There are seven defining moments in a person's life. For Morris Bliss, the difficulty is in knowing which moments are defining.

At age thirty-five, Morris Bliss is clamped in the jaws of New York City inertia - he wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; he still shares a walk-up apartment with his father.

Enter Stefani, an eighteen-year-old girl in a Catholic school uniform, and Morris's once static life quickly unravels when Stefani's father, oblivious to his daughter's actions, calls on Morris to work for him. Morris's life becomes further entangled when his best friend, N.J., is recruited by an international cartel that controls global economics and local sex markets, and Morris is called in to save N.J.'s bacon. But most importantly, Morris's father, a taciturn widower, finally reveals the truth surrounding the strange death of Morris's mother.

A body at rest will remain at rest. Unless acted upon. With the agony of his inertia finally broken, Morris Bliss fights to keep his life from careening out of control. He must learn to adapt if he is to survive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Set on New York's Lower East Side, this first novel by Light (founding editor, Epiphany) introduces Morris Bliss, 35 years old and living with his widowed father. Morris has big dreams of traveling all over the world. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a job or the means to take his aspirations beyond a collection of travel brochures and pushpins in a map on his bedroom wall. This fun read boasts a likable protagonist, other quirky and interesting characters, and vivid and humorous descriptions of New York while also providing some significant social commentary. The scene in which Morris and a former high school classmate (and father of the 18-year-old girl with whom Morris is sleeping) storm a vacant building in the middle of the night to roust out a group of homeless squatters is both funny and disturbing. Recommended for large public libraries with an interest in new and unknown authors." --Library Journal

About the Author

Douglas Light's writing has appeared in the New York Times, KGB Bar Lit, the Alaska Quarterly Review, Night Train, failbetter, and Pindeldyboz. His fiction won an O. Henry Prize, and was selected for inclusion in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Behler Publications (February 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193301640X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933016405
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Douglas Light grew up in Indiana. His novel East Fifth Bliss received the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award. The screen adaptation, which he co-wrote, stars Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Peter Fonda, and Sarah Shahi. His story collection, Girls in Trouble, received the 2010 AWP Grace Paley Prize. It will be published in the fall of 2011. His second novel, Where Night Stops, will be published in the fall of 2011. His writing has appeared in various publications, including the Narrative, Guernica, Alaska Quarterly Review, and Failbetter. His fiction won an O. Henry Prize, and was selected for the Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 anthology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great read, April 5, 2007

By 

Rebecca Glasser (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East Fifth Bliss (Paperback)

East Fifth Bliss is one of the best new books I've seen in a long time. The characters are, by turns, sympathetic, endearing, maddening, hilarious, and generally hard to forget once you've put the book down. And the author's writing style is worth the price of admission all on its own. I think you're supposed to wrap these things up by saying, "If you like books about [BLANK], you'll love this book!" But East Fifth Bliss defies such reductionist categorizations--so I'll say that if you like great stories, great characters, and great writing, you'll love this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If the movie is half as good as the book, it'll be great, February 6, 2010

By 

E. Sofos (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: East Fifth Bliss (Paperback)

I read about Michael C. Hall starring in an adaptation of East Fifth Bliss and had to check out the book. I can only hope the movie is as funny, sharp, and touching as the novel. Morris Bliss is frustrating, funny, encouraging, and saddening. He's all very human.
Light does an amazing job creating a world (set in New York City's East Village) that is both unique and recognizable. All the characters are vivid and their situations real, even when the tale slips into the absurd. It's one of those books that, hopefully, with the release of the movie, gets the attention it deserves.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing modern tale about learning to cope with unexpected adversity., August 5, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: East Fifth Bliss (Paperback)

O. Henry Prize-winning author Douglas Light presents East Fifth Bliss, a novel about Morris Bliss, an ordinary man trapped in the rut of daily life. With no job and no prospects, he lives in a tiny apartment with his father. When Stefani, an eighteen-year-old girl in a Catholic school uniform, enters Morris' life, events start to spiral out of control - his best friend is recruited by ruthless international cartel with its fingers in local sex markets, and his father reveals the startling truth about the death of Morris' mother. Morris must learn to adapt to the tidal changes in his relationships, family, and personal identity to survive. An absorbing modern tale about learning to cope with unexpected adversity.