Our Happiness (Bantam New Fiction) [Paperback]

Tom Jenks (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bantam New Fiction | Publication Date: April 1, 1990

A disturbing look at one man's conflict with love and conscience, here in a powerful and startling first novel in the tradition of To Kill a Mockingbird. A "southern novel" with an eerie and ominous tone and setting.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On a Southern farm, Carl Freeman fires a shot to scare off a dog and accidentally kills a man. Ten years later and living in Manhattan, he still is unable to forgive himself for a crime he never admits to anyone, and the dirty secret eats away at his marriage and health. First novelist Jenks, the literary editor of GQ , expertly devises parent-child relationships through cameos of Carl's troubled, ambiguous ties to his mother and son. He also demonstrates a descriptive knack: an elderly, black rural woman who "would fall into the bushes with any old boy who'd give her a drink or small change"; marital mementos that Carl keeps, such as a piece of lace and ribbon from the bodice of a nightgown his wife, Kath, wore when they were first together. Although the rustic experience springs alive here, some bad backwoods folks are stereotypes and Carl's leap from drunken bricklayer to celebrated yuppie real-estate developer is less than credible. The murder is an overly portentous plot pivot, and familiar contrivances are Kath's drug flashbacks and Carl's belief that "Kath and I mirrored each other's darkness. Hurting, we drew hurt to us and were bounded by it."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Told in lyrical flashbacks, this well-conceived memoir examines guilt, innocence, and retribution. By his own admission, Carl Freeman is a "nice" man, faithful to wife Kath and loving toward son Owen. Minimally educated but innately intelligent, he can't enjoy his new success in the big city. Why? The perpetrator of a tragic deed, Carl once accidentally killed a stranger--a poor country "redneck." He buried him and, taking no responsibility, told no one. Now, years later, his secret causes the breakup of all that is good in Carl's life. Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird and highly recommended.
- Ellen R. Cohen, Rockville, Md.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Revised edition (April 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055334854X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553348545
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,352,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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