With "echoes of Of Mice and Men"(The Bookseller, UK), The Motel Life explores the frustrations and failed dreams of two Nevada brothers—on the run after a hit-and-run accident—who, forgotten by society, and short on luck and hope, desperately cling to the edge of modern life.
The Motel Life: A Novel (P.S.)
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In a gritty debut, Vlautin explores a few weeks in the broken lives of two working-class brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, who abruptly ditch their Reno motel after Jerry Lee drunkenly kills a boy on a bicycle in a hit-and-run. The two are case studies in hard luck: their mother died when they were 14 and 16, respectively; their father is an ex-con deadbeat; neither finished high school. Frank has had just one girlfriend, motel neighbor Annie, whose mother is an abusive prostitute. An innocent simpleton, Jerry Lee is left feeling suicidal after the accident, despite his younger brother's efforts (à la Of Mice and Men's Lenny and George) to console him: "It was real quiet, the way he cried," says Frank, "like he was whimpering." On returning to Reno, an eventual reckoning awaits them. Vlautin's coiled, poetically matter-of-fact prose calls to mind S.E. Hinton—a writer well-acquainted with male misfit protagonists seeking redemption, no matter how destructive. Despite the bleak story and its inevitably tragic ending, Vlautin, who plays in the alt-country band Richmond Fontaine, transmits a quiet sense of resilience and hopefulness. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Author Vlautin, a member of the critically acclaimed alt-country band Richmond Fontaine, has crafted a beautifully artless first novel. It tells the story of Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan, who are on the run because of a hit-run-and-run accident in which Jerry Lee was involved. Eschewing compound sentences and even similes, Vlautin illuminates the lives of two decent young men from Reno who have been dealt a very bad hand; their mother died when they were teens, and their father, a thief and an inveterate gambler, left years before. They live in down-at-the-heels motels, drink too much, and work at dead-end jobs. Jerry Lee is a self-described "loser"--but with a conscience. He fails at suicide occasioned by grief, but Frank is there, inventing naive stories to keep him going. It's as ineffably sad as a lyric by Willie Nelson, but it's also a richly compassionate and sweetly sad meditation on what Billy Clyde Puckett in Dan Jenkins' Semi-Tough (1972) called "life itsownself." If there's any justice, anywhere, The Motel Life will be widely read and widely admired. Thomas Gaughan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Lemon Magic
Format:Paperback
I picked this one up on the strength of the copy on the back page and critic's quotes on the cover, and I'm glad I did. The setting is so bleak and the characters so desparate and destitute that it was hard for me to get started, but once I settled in, I found plenty of warmth and tenderness to balance out the hard luck stories of the two main characters.
The novel isn't perfect - it's a little too derivative of "Of Mice And Men" to be considered an original work. And the plot simply doesn't have a lot of depth or development to it; the flashbacks and the stories the younger brother makes up to pass the time aren't enough to flesh the book out into a major work. But you can't beat "The Motel Life" for atmosphere or dialog. The "extras" at the end of the book (interview with the author, author's guide to Reno. etc) are a nice touch, so I can't really complain about the short page count for the price of a trade paperback.
Really good stuff. I hope Vlautin continues to write and to grow as an author.
I liked this book a lot.
The novel isn't perfect - it's a little too derivative of "Of Mice And Men" to be considered an original work. And the plot simply doesn't have a lot of depth or development to it; the flashbacks and the stories the younger brother makes up to pass the time aren't enough to flesh the book out into a major work. But you can't beat "The Motel Life" for atmosphere or dialog. The "extras" at the end of the book (interview with the author, author's guide to Reno. etc) are a nice touch, so I can't really complain about the short page count for the price of a trade paperback.
Really good stuff. I hope Vlautin continues to write and to grow as an author.
I liked this book a lot.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Kiwifunlad
Format:Paperback
The down and out directionless lifestyle novel is a genre I would not normally read. If this book had been longer I would most probably have given up but I am glad I finished it. An American once described to me that the USA is like a donut, the East and West Coasts and a big hole in the middle. Reading this novel reminded me of that observation as the story of two brothers living a hand to mouth existence and where life seemed to be perpetually repetitive: centred on beer, films on TV and every so often hitting the road. What warmed me to the book was the endearing fraternity between the brothers and it is this that Vlautin captures very well. The stories Frank makes up for Jerry Lee together with the dog were welcome relief from the otherwise bleak life.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The linear narrative of the story with some flshbacks isn't bad, but I wanted the characters to be fleshed out a bit more.I want to know more of their thoughts and motivations other than just, "Mom died." The lives of these young men is depressing but they represent a good part of society. I have seen many disenfranchised students like them in my teaching career. I liked the authenticity of the setting--actual places in Nevada -and I thought the book ended on a somewhat hopeful note.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A book with little comfort in it
You have to carefully consider whether you are optimistic enough for this story before you start. Well-written, sparse, & thoughtful, it is not trite nor tame.
Published 1 month ago by D. G. Hembroff
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vlautin looks at the real, darker side of human nature.
People fall through society's cracks. Mr. Vlautin captures these people. People with no saftey net, people who have no trust funds, much education or ways out of their troubles. Read more
Published 2 months ago by dog_magnet
4.0 out of 5 stars
different
It was nice to read something different for a change . Reminded me of some of the hardships my brother went through
Published 2 months ago by Richard Capenhurst
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
Motel life is an excellent, fast read. As previous reviewers have stated, it very much follows along the lines of Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Read more
Published 2 months ago by Darlene Franks
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting for Reno readers
Vlautin perfectly captures the misery of the rootless, hopeless desperadoes who haunt Reno even today and particularly in the -- my guess -- 1970's. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patricia Swain
5.0 out of 5 stars
didn't want to put it down!
What can I say, I loved this book! It was a very easy read with characters that I felt like I've known before. Sometimes, life isn't easy and these brothers are proof of that.
Published 3 months ago by niftyamlie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Down and dirty
A very original book with understated characters told in a way that makes you root for them and feel a little sad for them at the same time.
Published 3 months ago by Michael X
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book would also make a great film.
The Cohen Brothers need to make this book into their next film.
It is a great though wrenching story.
I loved it.
It is a great though wrenching story.
I loved it.
Published 3 months ago by Susan Menges
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging !
This is an engaging story about two brothers, their misfortune, and their struggle to overcome it.
While I prefer more literary works, I found the story so well written in... Read more
While I prefer more literary works, I found the story so well written in... Read more
Published 3 months ago by R.A.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartbreaking and inspiring
Its themes and broken down brothers, Frank and Jerry Lee, were a major inspiration for my novel: Defects in Sea Otters Although, Willy Vlautin has only three novels on Amazon, he's... Read more
Published 10 months ago by joeysera
