The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly [Hardcover]

Greg Hrbek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 1999

When 10-year-old Thomas Markham's mother dies in childbirth in 1975, his family is shattered and Tom surrenders to the warm embrace of college-bound Lindsey Paris, a troubled girl of 18. What they share in the darkness of that tragic summer binds them together and haunts them far into the future. Fifteen years later, in San Francisco, Tom and the now-married Lindsey discover their feelings are stronger than ever, and they begin an affair charged with guilt and eroticism. Soon, tangled histories of silence and lies begin to unravel as Thomas moves closer to the troubling questions of his childhood and the meaning of his own identity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With sensuous prose and vital characters, this first novel by James Jones Award--winner Hrbek fearlessly explores the wracking entanglements of two lovers in flux. Tom Markham meets Lindsey Paris in Connecticut in 1974, when he is seven and she 15. The deep bond they form includes their shared loss of innocence and the secrets of a criminal act: Tom's mother dies giving birth to his brother, and Lindsey is raped by Tom's cousin. Years later, when they meet again in California, Lindsey is a famous journalist about to marry nature photographer Phil Davenport, whose renown equals hers. A promising tele-animator, Tom has always loved Lindsey, and his passion for her forces him to examine the darker secrets of their shared youth as they embark on a painful affair. Unaware of his wife's past, Phil unwittingly encourages the lovers' "friendship," and, in an attempt to improve Tom's love life, introduces him to Nile Treadway, a glamourous, black ex-lover of Lindsey's. Bisexual Nile embroils herself in their lives, and it seems that both Tom and Lindsey are fated to bring pain to each other. The levels of betrayal and emotional torture escalate for everyone. Hrbek's meditation on love and suffering twists along exquisitely: Phil exempts himself from feeling jealous, considering Tom a "brother" to Lindsey and Nile a "tepid" experiment; Lindsey is frazzled and distraught, ricocheting back and forth between Nile and Tom. Exclusive focus on the turbulent quadrangle is fractured when Tom's 16-year-old brother, a runaway, arrives with his own formidable chaos. Though the writing sometimes leans toward the precious, particularly in moments of Tom's introspection, Hrbek builds scenes with a tight economy of timing and detail, so that a tension resonates well beyond their conclusion. In the end the characters find equilibrium, and mellow into a hard-earned serenity Hrbek's portrait of the heart is magnetic, difficult, strange andAdespite a disquieting endingAwell worth the read. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In 1970s Connecticut, a troubled little boy with a dangerously ill mother becomes fascinated with a free-spirited teenager named Lindsey. Over the next several years, Tom finds in her a source of love and guilt, as violence and tragedy bind the unlikely pair together. Fast forward two decades to San Francisco, where they meet and begin an obsessive affair, threatening both Lindsey's marriage and Tom's blossoming career as an animator. First novelist Hrbek displays considerable talent as this triangle unfolds, especially in his control of dialog, but the book is uneven in its reader appeal. Self-centered and heavy on repetitious, graphic sexual description, Tom's first-person narration can become tedious. Often more is told than shown about place, time, and potentially compelling characters, diluting the narrative impact. Still, there is promise here: watch for more from this author. For comprehensive fiction collections.AStarr E. Smith, Marymount Univ. Lib., Arlington, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (July 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977419
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977413
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,798,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parallel lives woven together with beautifully, October 13, 1999

By 

Judy Graves "[e-mail]" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly (Hardcover)

It has been a long time (since Scott Spencer's "Endless Love") coming that a novel has been so beautifully written about lonliness, pain, obssession and the angst of youth. Bravo Greg Hrbek and I look forward to future literary gems from you! It has been a long time since I had a book that I couldn't wait to get back to and felt annoyed when reality pulled me away.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush and provocative, January 30, 2002

By 

R. Witte (Croton-on-Hudson, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly (Paperback)

Having stumbled onto this book one weekend while in my favorite bookstore, I was intrigued by the title, pulled it from the shelf and purchased it. I'm thankful that I did not miss this novel.
In parallel stories, THE HIDENBURG CRASHES NIGHTLY chronicles Tom Markham's enduring love for Lindsey Paris, a girl eight years his senior.
A dark and sensual story of passion and obsession, this is a gorgeously written first novel, which hopefully, will not be Mr. Hrebk's last. While this novel seems to be limited in availability, do whatever you can to find a copy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hindenberg Crashes, December 15, 1999

By 

Jim Sutcliffe (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly (Hardcover)

Hindenberg Crashes Nighlty is one of those rare books that has a strong narrative drive, with rich complex, conflicted charachters that despite their flaws are immensly likable. This book has a similiar 'soulful' feel to Michael Cunningham's A Home at the End of the Work; it asks those big life questions, while delivering a satisfying dose of unrequited love, soul searching and smart, funny conversations you might hear at a fantasticly intellectual dinner party. A really refreshing read. Hrebeck also has a story in this months Harpers Magazine (December 1999) that is a worthwhile introduction to his unique writing style.