Coasters

by Gerald Duff

Waylon McPhee, middle-aged and divorced, moves back in with his widowed father in hopes of coasting through another year. But his father is dating again, and his sisters are trying to manipulate... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588380297
• ISBN13: 9781588380296
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: NewSouth Books
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Clovis Bear

Although this book is about a 48-year old divorced man, which is not the kind of subject matter I normally look for in my reading material, I decided to give this one a shot anyway, and I am so glad I did! This book is entertaining: it's hard to put down and there were several laugh-out-loud moments to be found. I really enjoyed this book, although I must say that the ending was rather anticlimactic, overall I would definitely recommend it. Enjoy!

With witty, sardonic dialogue and a thought-provoking core

Gerald Duff's Coasters is a deftly written novel that alternates between dark comedy and surreal tragedy as it chronicles Waylon McPhee, a divorced middle-aged man who coasts through life without the escape velocity he once had in his youth. Entangled between his widowed father's love life and a manipulative sister who wants her inheritance before it goes to a possible second wife, Waylon juggles responsibility while struggling to recover some of the drive and spirit he once had... or at least to be something more than just another coaster. With witty, sardonic dialogue and a thought-provoking core, Coasters is original, compelling, and highly recommended.

Check It Out

Did you read that piece in the latest Atlantic Monthly about overrated, ill-written books by current literary darlings? This book is a good antidote to that kind of stuff. Duff's characters talk like natural people, only funnier. And he doesn't lay a lot of woolly lyricism on you--he shows people getting up to things. These are real literary values.

An Exhilarating Ride

Duff has wrapped this story of middle-aged torpor in ribald humor and hilarious word play. The plot takes the reader on a rapid ascent through the savage scenery of corporate downsizing, marital failures, family discord, and unrealized dreams. Waylon McPhee, the central character, returns - unemployed, divorced and without future plans -- to live cheaply in his father's house. In his desire to coast through life, he reenters his past. It is both familiar and recognizably changed. The differences provide just enough impetus to keep Waylon on the ascent. His coasting is not a slowing down. The raucously drawn characters of Port Arthur would never allow such behavior. A swift kick in the pants to any such nonsense! Duff takes hold of the people, places and language of the Golden Triangle and arranges them on the page like so much fried food at the Holiday Inn breakfast buffet. It may not be healthy, but it sure does stick to the bones. The oil refineries and chemical plants along the Texas gulf coast shine an eerie light that magically reflects the humanity of Duff's characters. These people are often flawed, funny and lewd ... but they are never unbelievable. Respect is a major theme running through the novel: threads of feminism, ageism, and sexism are evident. Such weighty issues are handled deftly, leaving the people of Port Arthur the arduous task of working through their differences -- often in the privacy of their bedrooms (owned, borrowed or rented by the hour). Coasters is a rollicking read. Anticipation builds until we find ourselves on the final page. At the end, floating in the still point where adrenaline pumps and the mind opens to new possibilities, Waylon sets free the ghosts from his past.