Wrack and Ruin

by Don Lee

Book Overview

A dreadlocked buddy with an artificial leg, a small plot of exceptionally lush marijuana, two field biologists studying western snowy plovers, a disgraced museum curator, and Lyndon's great love, the impulsive mayor of Rosarita Bay-these are only some of the complications in Lyndon and Woody's lives over one madcap Labor Day weekend. Hilarious and philosophical, this many-hued novel about the landscape of contemporary "multicultural" America is critically...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393062325
• ISBN13: 9780393062328
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful and fun - almost the perfect novel

The other reviewers are correct - the plot is quirky and unexpected, and the characters are far from what you expect, and it's definitely worthy of more than five stars. It's also important to not that the book is far from feeling like a spoof; there are no cheap thrills here, instead there's a real depth and honesty that, combined with Lee's lovely, lyrical writing, is generally tough to find. Lee masterfully intertwines several different themes: family relations, race and identity, fame and art, love and friendship, environmentalism and development, even brussels sprouts farming. I appreciate that he captures a sense of place so perfectly, and beautifully, and created characters with obvious humanity. It's just a happy, thoughtful, lovely surprise of a book, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Beauty in Farce

I'm amazed at the beauty in each of these characters. No saints, all sinners. All beautiful and flawed in their own ways, and each given a tiny bit of redemption. Not full redemption, that would be trite and treacly, but just a little bit. Enough to be thankful for. Enough to make it all seem real. It isn't hard to imagine these characters as living and breathing -- they are all around us.

Exactly what I needed!

For the last several years, I've been searching for an author who can compare with TR Pearson's hilarious reflections on small town life--I think Don Lee may be it! I analogize this book to movies. For me, I most often want to see serious films that tell a logical story based in reality--the so called "art house films". But there are other times when I just want to be entertained in only the way a huge blockbuster, disconnected from reality can do. When I walk out of a good blockbuster, my only lasting thought is, that's exactly what I wanted at that moment--it's not going to change my life. This book was my blockbuster film. The story is WAY over the top and the characters come up at you at NASCAR speeds, but if you know that going in, and you sit back and let it all happen around you, you'll enjoy the ride.

"I laughed. I cried. It was better than Cats."

This novel is funny, but underneath the humor lies some excellent observations about life, love, and family. It's an excellent read, a fast read, a winner.

A Comedy of Errors for Our Time

In his wonderful new novel, Don Lee has accomplished one of the most difficult forms of art: the farce. And he has done so with tremendous skill, pulling you into a vibrant and lush world where you can taste, smell, and feel everything around you. In short, it was the ultimate sensory experience. It was certainly hard to leave. Perhaps fans of Shakespeare's comedies would enjoy this for it's a novel where you have to be willing to just let go, immerse yourself in a world of exaggeration and improbability. It is utterly hilarious and wacky--it's been a while since I laughed so hard reading a book--but what moved me, in the end, was its great tenderness, the way we stumble toward, and discover, love.