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Lee Durkee
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The Last Taxi Driver Hardcover – March 3, 2020

by Lee Durkee (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 251 ratings
See all formats and editions
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A Kirkus Best Book of 2020

“A wild, funny, poetic fever dream that will change the way you think about America.” ―George Saunders

Hailed by George Saunders as “a true original―a wise and wildly talented writer,” Lee Durkee takes readers on a high-stakes cab ride through an unforgettable shift. Meet Lou―a lapsed novelist, struggling Buddhist, and UFO fan―who drives for a ramshackle taxi company that operates on the outskirts of a north Mississippi college town. With Uber moving into town and his way of life vanishing, his girlfriend moving out, and his archenemy dispatcher suddenly returning to town on the lam, Lou must finish his bedlam shift by aiding and abetting the host of criminal misfits haunting the back seat of his disintegrating Town Car. Lou is forced to decide how much he can take as a driver, and whether keeping his job is worth madness and heartbreak.

Shedding nuts and bolts, The Last Taxi Driver careens through highways and back roads, from Mississippi to Memphis, as Lou becomes increasingly somnambulant and his fares increasingly eccentric. Equal parts Bukowski and Portis, Durkee’s darkly comic novel is a feverish, hilarious, and gritty look at a forgotten America and a man at life’s crossroads.

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  1. Print length
    280 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tin House Books
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    5.9 x 0.9 x 8.8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    194779339X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1947793392
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

kirkus, last taxi driver, denis johnson, starred review, charles portis, twilight of the gods

washington post, mood of our time

george saunders,

chris offutt

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Disarmingly honest and darkly comic. . . . Beguiling, energetic, razor-sharp prose."
― The New York Times Book Review

"Charming as hell."
― WIRED

"Raunchy and sweet and, at times, psychedelic."
― Garden & Gun

"Remarkable . . . part Denis Johnson-ish carnival of the wrecked, part Nietzschean Twilight of the Gods (or Twilight of the Taxicabs)."
― Kirkus, Starred Review

"A wild, funny, poetic fever-dream that will change the way you think about America. Durkee is a true original―a wise and wildly talented writer who knows something profound about that special strain of American darkness that comes out of blended paucity, materialism, and addiction―but also, in the joy and honesty and wit of the prose, he offers a way out. I loved this book and felt jangled and inspired and changed by it."
― George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo

"Terrific."
― Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

"The best book I've read in years."
― Chris Offutt, author of Country Dark

"A frenetic, voyeuristic delight."
― Mary Miller, author of Biloxi

"A stone cold masterpiece. Haven’t felt this way since reading Jesus’ Son and Bringing Out the Dead for the first time. Raw, revelatory, honest, full of kindness and anger and sadness and compassion."
― William Boyle, author of City of Margins

"For devotees of the offbeat and grit lit writers like Larry Brown and Mary Miller. Follow the air freshener rocking back and forth, taking you under its spell, as Durkee takes you for a ride."
― The A.V. Club

"One of the best novels in recent memory. . . . A wild and hilarious ride."
― The Washington Examiner

"Much of what makes Lee Durkee’s novel so delightful and surprising is his ability to dig beneath the surface of this funny, well-told odyssey, which channels a Shakespearean tragedy. This twenty-year follow up to his debut novel, Rides of the Midway, was worth the wait."
― The Chicago Review of Books

"A gonzo ride full of dark humor, philosophical insights, and shrewd observations about the plight of luckless people in the United States."
― Shelf Awareness

"The Last Taxi Driver is a road novel . . . rooted firmly in our America. The novel almost makes other fiction in that Southern tradition seem frivolous by comparison."
― Razorcake

"The working-class realism of Charles Bukowski with the countercultural flamboyance of Hunter S. Thompson. . . . Yet somehow, the author creates such a vivid likeness of life that readers can’t help but feel uplifted. There’s beauty in the beastliness. Don’t miss this one."
― Luckbox Magazine

"The Last Taxi Driver is a Canterbury Tales for our time . . . Decentralized, atomized, and alternately tranquilized and jacked up on cheap beer and meth, this is the world of Beckett, Godard, Robbe-Grillet."
― Full Stop

"In Lou, Durkee has created a fascinatingly complex character . . . Durkee tackles race and poverty, violence of many varieties, loss and longing, and the power of the imagination. Lou’s excruciating day will make readers cringe, and the recounting of his traumas is more than unsettling. This is a dark, feverish, and weird tale that remains compelling throughout."
― Bookreporter

"The funniest writer you’ve never heard of, but that may change. His 2001 debut, Rides of the Midway, is a 1970s coming-of-age masterpiece . . . Now, nearly twenty years later, at last we have Durkee’s second book, his own reboot, and wow is it worth the wait . . . a future Tom Waits vehicle if there ever was one."
― John Freeman, Lit Hub

About the Author

Lee Durkee is the author of the novel Rides of the Midway. His stories and essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The Sun, Best of the Oxford American, Zoetrope: All-Story, Tin House, New England Review, and Mississippi Noir. In 2021, his memoir Stalking Shakespeare will chronicle his decade-long obsession with trying to find lost portraits of William Shakespeare. A former cab driver, he lives in north Mississippi.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tin House Books; First Edition (March 3, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 194779339X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1947793392
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 0.9 x 8.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 251 ratings

About the author

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Lee Durkee

Lee Durkee

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Lee Durkee's novel THE LAST TAXI DRIVER (Tin House Books) was named a Best Book of the Year in three countries in 2021. He is also the author of the novel RIDES OF THE MIDWAY (WW Norton, 2001). His memoir STALKING SHAKESPEARE, which chronicles his hilarious and irreverent two decade obsession with finding lost portraits of William Shakespeare, will be released by Scribner Books in April 2023. His stories and essays have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The Sun, The Oxford American, Zoetrope, Garden & Gun, Tin House, & Mississippi Noir. He lives in North Mississippi.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
251 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and a quick read. They appreciate the humorous, quirky, and poignant perspective on human nature. The story is described as rich and engaging, with interesting vignettes about passengers. Readers praise the writing quality as authentic and accomplished.

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ReadabilityHumorStory qualityPerspectiveWriting quality
11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it entertaining, insightful, and a quick read.

"...It is worth the read. Good luck with it." Read more

"...Hell yes. I promise you will enjoy every page of this one. Well done Mr. Durkee. Sincerely, JT-" Read more

"...A great, fun, quick read." Read more

"The vignettes of passengers are interesting and engaging, but so is the compassion and exasperation of the taxi driver...." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humorous and quirky perspective on human life. They find it a fun, quick read written by an ex-taxi driver.

"Ever think you're having a rough day? Read this funny and endearing 1-day saga of resilience and rich, unusual characters, and feel..." Read more

"...A great, fun, quick read." Read more

"Short episodes. Comical. Written in the 1st person and you get to know him and his unusual passengers." Read more

"Delightfully humorous, quirky, sometimes even poignant perspective on human nature. Reminds one in some ways of “Confederacy of Dunces”...." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it engaging and mention the tale is rich.

"...Read this funny and endearing 1-day saga of resilience and rich, unusual characters, and feel blessed beyond measure." Read more

"...I kept thinking of "A Confederacy of Dunces" while reading this rich tale. And that is the highest praise I can give an author...." Read more

"Good story line, talented writer, but there is so much profanity in the narratives that it takes away from the book...." Read more

"The stories sort of link together, but sometimes the thread is pretty thin." Read more

4 customers mention "Perspective"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the perspective. They find the slice-of-life portrait of Shakespeare engaging and poignant. The vignettes of passengers are interesting and refreshing, showing compassion and empathy.

"I loved this wild, careening, slice-of-life portrait of a vulgar Shakespeare-loving, over-educated, under-employed, UFO-abductee, driving in and..." Read more

"...bros, murders, to authors and druggies the author paints a great picture of life in the front seat and replays all the good the bad and the ugly..." Read more

"The vignettes of passengers are interesting and engaging, but so is the compassion and exasperation of the taxi driver...." Read more

"Delightfully humorous, quirky, sometimes even poignant perspective on human nature. Reminds one in some ways of “Confederacy of Dunces”...." Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality. They mention it's authentic and accomplished. The storyline is good, written in the first person, and the language is authentic.

"...The language is authentic, and the writing is accomplished. I enjoyed this book." Read more

"Short episodes. Comical. Written in the 1st person and you get to know him and his unusual passengers." Read more

"Good story line, talented writer, but there is so much profanity in the narratives that it takes away from the book...." Read more

A Buddhist cabbie walks into a bar. If you'd had his day, so would you.
5 out of 5 stars
A Buddhist cabbie walks into a bar. If you'd had his day, so would you.
Lee is the Larry Brown of Generation X. A writer who just has to write, even if it never sees print. Driving a cab in a Mississippi college town Lou sees it all. From the drunk fraternity boys, to the cancer patient celebrating three months heroin free getting out of rehab to go die. Buddhist Lou works to be calm and kind while trying to resist shooting birds at people on their phones who don't go when the light is green. So much heart and honesty in this book. If you've ever worked in the service industry, this is your kind of book. Pete Jordan (look up his book Dishwasher) meets Lebowski. Barely abiding is a sad art.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Robert A. Van Lente
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Lord!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Ever think you're having a rough day?

    Read this funny and endearing 1-day saga of resilience and rich, unusual characters, and feel blessed beyond measure.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kenneth Stenger
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Fare
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The Last Driver is a unique read. Not everyone is going to get the rave reviews or the laugh out louds those reviews promise unless you have lived a very sheltered life and have not seen enough of this desperation in days of your own. But there is something there shining through in the voice of Lou. It is a little Kerouac, a bunch of Tom Waits, and whatever you bring to the dance. It is worth the read. Good luck with it.
    Helpful
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  • Socialfit77
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is by far my favorite that I read this year. Hilariously human taxi fares through the state of Mississippi? Hell yes. I promise you will enjoy every page of this one. Well done Mr. Durkee.
    Sincerely,
    JT-
    Helpful
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  • Linda Keeling
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I live in Mississippi and knew towns in this book but it was disappointing and seemed pointless
    Helpful
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  • aisle9
    4.0 out of 5 stars The world needs more taxi drivers
    Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this wild, careening, slice-of-life portrait of a vulgar Shakespeare-loving, over-educated, under-employed, UFO-abductee, driving in and around Oxford...I mean...Gentry, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee. Durkee has obviously spent some time with Bukowski and Vonnegut...as well as a few short story collections from the (old) OXFORD AMERICAN. The stream of characters entering and exiting his cab are sometimes instantly recognizable and sometimes too fantastic to think real. His relationship with each of them is puzzling, endearing, infuriating, and perfect. A great, fun, quick read.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Nancy Anderson
    5.0 out of 5 stars I Didn't Want It to End
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Where do I start? I heard about this book 3 days ago, ordered and received it 2 days ago, and devoured it in 2 sittings. Lee Durkee's Lou, the taxi driver, keeps you laughing and sometimes cringing with the crazy fares he picks up in Gentry, Mississippi. I kept thinking of "A Confederacy of Dunces" while reading this rich tale. And that is the highest praise I can give an author. I look forward to reading his other works. Thanks from a displaced Mississippian for making me remember home, Lee Durkee.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Connecticut Mom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Real Dirt from the back seat of a cab.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    You will never sit in a cab again! This story about 24 hours in a MIssissippi cab is filled with great characters who share ALL their life stories with their cab drivers. From alcoholics, transplant patients, old ladies, frat bros, murders, to authors and druggies the author paints a great picture of life in the front seat and replays all the good the bad and the ugly that he sees and hears. Yes there’s profanity but that’s reality.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Pat B.
    4.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing recount of a taxi driver with a heart
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The vignettes of passengers are interesting and engaging, but so is the compassion and exasperation of the taxi driver. This is a perfect book escape after reading books which require a lot of the reader. The Last Taxi Driver provides insight to lives limited by finances, addictions, medical problems, and isolation. The language is authentic, and the writing is accomplished. I enjoyed this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Paul@Aude_France
    5.0 out of 5 stars American dystopia
    Reviewed in France on December 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    There's more than a little of Damon Runynan in this brilliant novel; the highly-strung outlandish characters, the wild incidents that pepper the life of our poor taxi-driver, Lou, who seems to inhabit a world apart, and in between crazed and broken fares, soliloquises about the Buddha, Shakespeare and UFOs. It's funny, tragic and points an unflinching eye on the underbelly of America, the side you never see on TV.
    Absolutely wonderful novel.
    Report
  • Edoardo Angeloni
    3.0 out of 5 stars A dystopic life, that of the driver of taxi.
    Reviewed in Italy on August 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The author describes the life of a driver of taxi. The people uses this car speedly and it has little time for him-self. The voices are high and with a strong noise. It is a reallity dystopic and near a strange humanity. An author should always write the exact word, but here he doesn't do ever it. But in a book with similar importance the words should have their role. So this book doesn't be at least a fantasy. It could be only a theatre around Céline or Brecht.
    Report