Tearjerker: A Novel [Paperback]

Daniel Hayes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2004

Unhinged by years of rejection letters, an author plots a wild scheme to gain an editor's undivided attention

Until I bought one, I'd never touched a gun, never stood in front of a full-length mirror pointing a gun at myself. Bang, bang. Mine was a Magnum .357 purchased in New Jersey, much more svelte than I'd imagined a gun could be.

Evan Ulmer takes matters into his own hands after his writerly dreams of fame and recognition have stalled. He kidnaps renowned editor Robert Partnow and cages him in a basement equipped with a TV, a treadmill, and a Porta-John. Evan shares his desperation with Bob, Bob reveals his own unsavory secrets, and together they watch the media spin this situation into a lurid tale of abduction and infidelity. Blurring the boundaries between fiction and real life, cunning and sincerity, flirtation and true love, Tearjerker unfolds in startling directions that make the reader wonder along with Evan, "Was abduction a difficult and gutsy endeavor or, instead, the predictable last resort of the desperately stupid?"

In this darkly humorous debut novel, Daniel Hayes explores the human reality behind the tabloid headlines and the pathos of failure and yearning in a culture of high-stakes celebrity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The passions that animate writers take zany shape in this playful metafictional debut novel by the author of the short story collection Kissing You. Evan Ulmer, an anxious writer desperate for literary success, is sick of having his stories rejected by busy publishers. Growing impatient, he abducts Robert Partnow, an esteemed book editor he read about in Publisher's Weekly, and locks him up in a basement designed for maximum comfort. There, Partnow is forced to listen to the many failures of the struggling writer, and captor and captive gradually develop a wary relationship based on honesty and loneliness. Meanwhile, the zealous media coverage of Partnow's disappearance brings to light a few of the editor's own failings and forces the duo to reevaluate their respective positions. When Ulmer isn't talking shop with his hostage, he's falling for Promise, an affection-starved writer with similar pen-in-hand ambitions. It's a nudge from Promise that finally turns the tables on Ulmer, ushering in the startling, satisfying denouement. In deadpan, witty prose embroidered with nervous detail, Hayes offers a deft, pointed look at the writing life and the fine line between ambition and delusion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Evan Ulmer, a struggling writer, finds himself doing the unthinkable. He buys a gun, abducts a book editor named Robert Partnow, and keeps him locked in the basement of his home in upstate New York. Ulmer creates for Partnow a fortress-prison equipped with a TV, portable toilet, and treadmill, but it becomes increasingly evident to captor and captive alike that Ulmer has no real plans for his abductee. Evan is a self-absorbed writer who seems only to write for the possibility of fame. He shares these dreams and his career disappointments with Bob, and he finds they have more in common than expected. A burgeoning romance with a plucky girl, also a writer, whom he meets at the public library forces Evan to face the enormity of the crime he has undertaken: What was he thinking? Tight, clever turns of phrase and a surprisingly light touch give this first novel a fresh feel even as it reprises a familiar theme--the absurdities of the publishing world and the agonies of rejection. Misha Stone
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Graywolf Press (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555974090
• ISBN-13: 978-1555974091
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,237,331 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 x, October 21, 2004

By 

Alice Kaltman (Brooklyn NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tearjerker: A Novel (Paperback)

This was one of the funniest, yet poignant books I've read all year. A true revenge fantasy put on the page. Daniel Hayes does a brilliant job of describing the unfolding relationship between two men, one a total loser, and the other at the top of his game. Or are they? When under dog takes outlandish action and becomes top dog. the two men are thrust in to a situation that is searingly intimate. Hayes' use of dialogue and train of thought make an unbelievable situation painfully real. This is a true you'll laugh, you'll cry book. The writing is seamless, and natural, no pretention. I hope Daniel Hayes comes out with another book soon!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars what you are reading is what you are writing, December 2, 2004

By 

Todd J. Kluger (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tearjerker: A Novel (Paperback)

Meta- of the moment, in the moment. What you are reading is what you are writing, is what you are living, which is what is being written. On the surface, Daniel Hayes' new work, "Tearjerker" explores the revenge fantasy of an unpublished writer and a burnt-out book editor. This easily could have veered off into Stephen King's Novella "Misery" terriorty, but it does not. It delves into the depths of friendship, romance, reality, fantasy and what it is to be in the moment, and follow this closely readers - what is the moment you are in? Hayes' previous book of short stories "Kissing You" strung together short stories with themes of longing, devotion, and unchecked realities, in "Tearjerker" he does the same, but with one cohesive short novel. You will not want to put this book down until you know how it ends. And when it does end, it will leave you wondering how to feel about the characters; happy for them, or sad for them?