Lottery [Hardcover]

Patricia Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2007

Perry's IQ is only 76, but he's not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And, most important, she taught him whom to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of thirty-one. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery ticket wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with. Peopled with characters both wicked and heroic who leap off the pages, Lottery is a deeply satisfying, gorgeously rendered novel about trust, loyalty, and what distinguishes us as capable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Perry Crandall has an IQ of 76, but is not retarded, as he'll have you know: his IQ would need to be less than 75 for that, and he knows the difference even if others may not. Perry, the 32-year-old narrator of Wood's warm-fuzzy debut, has worked at the same marine supply store for half his life and lives with his wisecracking grandmother Gram, whose gems of folk wisdom help him along. But when Gram dies, Perry's selfish, money-grubbing family members swoop in and swindle him out of the proceeds from the sale of her house—and then come a-knocking again when Perry wins $12 million in the Washington State Lottery. Suddenly everyone is paying attention to Perry, but who can he trust? Even his friends from the marine supply store behave differently, and on top of everything else, Perry finds himself falling for convenience store clerk Cherry, who has problems of her own. Despite his family's shenanigans and sinister maneuverings, Perry holds his own and discovers abilities he didn't know he had. The wisdoms here run more cute than deep, but Wood's light humor and likable narrator should have mass appeal. (Aug.)
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Review

"Patricia Wood's debut novel tickles your funny bone, tugs your heartstrings, and redefines the word 'fortunate' all at once."
-Redbook

"[An] irresistible debut novel about what makes people good or bad, smart or stupid."
-Good Housekeeping

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1St Edition edition (August 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399154493
• ISBN-13: 978-0399154492
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (203 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #267,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Wood was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has served in the US Army, worked as a Medical Technologist, been a horseback-riding instructor, and most recently taught marine science in a public high school working with high-risk students in Honolulu. Patricia is an avid SCUBA diver, has assisted with shark research, won the Hawaii State Jumper Championship with her horse Airborne and crewed in a 39-foot sailboat across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to San Francisco. Currently she is a PhD student at the University of Hawaii, focusing on education, disability and diversity. Lottery is inspired by her work, as well as by a number of events in her life, including her father winning the Washington State Lottery. She lives with her husband in Hawaii.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We are all lucky., August 6, 2007

By 

Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lottery (Hardcover)

I'm trying to figure out why I enjoyed this novel so much. It's not the writing, which is fine, but ordinary. And it's not a page-turner of a plot--though it has to be said that I read the book easily in two days. It moves quite quickly and kept my interest at all times. But what I really loved about the novel was its first-person protagonist, Perry L. Crandall. It's hard not to fall in love with him!

I've heard the plot described as "high concept." I guess if you can sum it up in a sentence, it is that. Here's the sentence: a cognitively impaired (but adamantly NOT retarded) man wins 12 million dollars in the Washington State Lottery. From there the story is everything you'd expect it to be. There are good, kind people around Perry, and other terrible people who would take every advantage of his good nature. I laughed, I cried, I experienced the full range of human emotion. Really, it's just a very sweet book with a whole cast of incredibly endearing characters. It was simply a pleasure to read.

32 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, August 6, 2007

By 

Mary Akers (Western NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lottery (Hardcover)

Perry L. Crandall would like you to know that he is not retarded. Retarded would be 75 on an IQ test, and he is 76. Besides, Perry takes care not only of himself, but also of his Gran, a crusty, no-nonsense woman who loves him for who he is and lets him shine his light through his own accomplishments. (She tells him the L in his name stands for Lucky.)

Perry describes his life in simple and succinct sentences that manage to be full of wonder and surprise. As he speaks, we see all too clearly the many ways in which his nuclear family has failed him, but Perry never sees it that way. His glass is always half full. Shoot, his glass is three-quarters full--it only looks half-full to those of us too blind to see things the Perry Crandall way. And it's this innocence and optimism that makes his family betrayals all the more heartbreaking to the reader. We want to crawl into the book and protect Perry from the vultures, especially when he faces the biggest tragedy of his life.

But Perry insists he doesn't need protecting, and he proceeds to prove it us and to the three remaining people who care the most about him: Gary, the owner of Holsted's Marine Supply who has employed Perry since he was sixteen years old; Keith, Perry's heavy, flatulent, potty-mouthed co-worker; and Cherry a young, tattooed and pierced cashier at the local Marina Handy Mart.

When Perry wins the Washington state lottery we learn just who his real friends (and real family) are. His mostly estranged cousin-brothers come knocking, strangers arrive on his doorstep...and we hope--oh how we hope--that Perry can learn to distinguish the friends from the leeches.

There is so much to love about this big-hearted first novel. The characters are rich and real and alive. Perry's voice is fresh, authentic, consistent, and homespun-philosopher-wise...and then, there's the ending. Oh, the ending! The ending is so unexpectedly perfect and poignant and satisfying. I keep trying not to write, "Keep a box of tissues handy," but, well, keep a box of tissues handy. You'll need them. But--to use another cliche--you'll be smiling through your tears.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Uplifting Book That Will Warm Your Heart, January 29, 2009

By 

Jennifer "Jenners" (Sicklerville, NJ, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lottery (Hardcover)

A Basic Overview
This book tells the story of Perry L. Crandall. (His grandmother tells him the L stands for "Lucky.") Perry has an IQ of 76 -- but he'll be the first to tell you that he "is not retarded." However, much of the world treats his as such. Most of his family has abandoned him except for his grandparents, who raise him. After the death of his grandfather, Perry lives with his grandmother, who does her best to teach him ways to protect himself--spend half, save half; write things down; learn your words; and trust only certain people. Perry has a job and a good friend Keith, who accepts him as he is. He fancies a girl named Cherry who works at the local mini-mart. But things take a turn for the worse when his grandmother dies -- leaving Perry to fend for himself. His family members swoop in and quickly ransack his life and essentially sell his home out from under him -- leaving him on his own to cope. Only Keith and his boss are willing to help Perry rebuild his life, and his family abandons him again. Then one day, Perry wins $12 million in the Washington State Lottery. Suddenly, his family is back -- circling like vultures. But his grandmother has taught him well, and Perry teaches them an important lesson: "Never underestimate Perry L. Crandall."

My Thoughts
I think writing a book from the perspective of a mentally challenged person is difficult. Besides telling the story, the author faces the additional challenge of being true to the narrator's voice. I thought the author did a good job of balancing the childlike qualities inherent in Perry with the narrative elements needed to keep the story moving. For example, because Perry is treated as a simpleton by his family, they speak freely in front of him -- allowing him to recount their conversations and reveal their plans to the reader without Perry understanding what is going on. This device is used throughout the book, and I thought it was effective.

In addition, having the grandmother teach Perry to write things down is another device that allows the author to reveal critical information to the reader. Perry often reads the journals of his life that his grandmother created for him -- allowing the reader to get a glimpse of the family dynamics.

However, for the most part, the book is Perry's account of his life before and after his grandmother's death. As soon as he wins the lottery, I began feeling a sort of dread for him -- knowing that his family would be brutal in their attempts to wrest control of the lottery winnings away from him. One of my only quibbles with the book is that I felt the family members were just a little too black and white (with the possible exception of David who was a bit on the gray side) in their greed and evilness. And the sympathetic characters -- Keith, Cherry and Gary -- are perhaps a bit too nice and good (although the author gives Keith some definite issues to deal with). However, these are relatively minor issues overall.

I liked the choices the author made in the book. I felt she stayed true to Perry's character, and I was happy with the ways she chose to wrap up the story. The quote by Oscar Wilde that she uses at the start of the book -- "Ordinary riches can be stolen: real riches cannot" -- are perhaps the best summary of the basic message of this book. I think most readers will come away from this book feeling uplifted and satisfied.

About The Author
This was Patricia Wood's first novel. She is a Ph.D. student at the University of Hawaii, focusing on education, disability, and diversity. Her work inspired this novel -- as well as events in her life, including her father winning the Washington State Lottery. She lives with her husband on board a sailboat moored in Hawaii. (taken from the author's bio)

I was interested to read that the author's father had won the Washington State Lottery. This helped me to be more accepting of some of the details that happen when Perry wins the lottery, as I imagine many of them were taken from her father's experiences. Also, it makes sense that she lives on a sailboat as Perry works in a marine supply store and Keith lives on a sailboat. I always enjoy seeing the connections between an author's real life and their fiction. In addition, her son lives in Everett, Washington, which is the setting for the book.