A Thousand Pardons: A Novel

A Thousand Pardons: A Novel

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS

For readers of Jonathan Franzen and Richard Russo, Jonathan Deeâ€™s novels are masterful works of literary fiction. In this sharply observed tale of self-invention and public scandal, Dee raises a trenchant question: what do we really want when we ask for forgiveness?
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Once a privileged and loving couple, the Armsteads have now reached a breaking point. Ben, a partner in a prestigious law firm, has become unpredictable at work and withdrawn at homeâ€”a change that weighs heavily on his wife, Helen, and their preteen daughter, Sara. Then, in one afternoon, Benâ€™s recklessness takes an alarming turn, and everything the Armsteads have built together unravels, swiftly and spectacularly.
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Thrust back into the working world, Helen finds a job in public relations and relocates with Sara from their home in upstate New York to an apartment in Manhattan. There, Helen discovers she has a rare gift, indispensable in the world of image control: She can convince arrogant men to admit their mistakes, spinning crises into second chances. Yet redemption is more easily granted in her professional life than in her personal one.
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As she is confronted with the biggest case of her career, the fallout from her marriage, and Saraâ€™s increasingly distant behavior, Helen must face the limits of accountability and her own capacity for forgiveness.

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Praise for A Thousand Pardons
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â€œA Thousand Pardons is that rare thing: a genuine literary thriller. Eerily suspenseful and packed with dramatic event, it also offers a trenchant, hilarious portrait of our collective longing for authenticity in these overmediated times.â€â€”Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prizeâ€“winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad

â€œHugely enjoyable . . . Dee is a snappy, cinematic writer. . . . A Thousand Pardons moves fast. Itâ€™s a mere 200 or so pages, and it packs a lot of turns of fate within there.â€â€”The Boston Globe
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â€œDeeâ€™s gifts are often dazzling and his material meticulously shaped. . . . [He] articulates complex emotional dynamics with precision and insight.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review
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â€œSome stories begin with a bang. And some begin with a roaring fireball of truth. Jonathan Deeâ€™s latest novel belongs in the latter camp.â€â€”O: The Oprah Magazine
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â€œDee bounds gracefully among Helenâ€™s, Benâ€™s, and Saraâ€™s points of view as they try to reassemble their lives. Their stories feel honest, and the prose is beautiful.â€â€”Entertainment Weekly
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â€œA page turner . . . What a triumph.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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â€œGraceful prose and such a sharp understanding of human weakness that youâ€™ll wince as you laugh.â€â€”People
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â€œPropulsively readable.â€â€”The Millions
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â€œDee continues to establish himself as an ironic observer of contemporary behavior. . . . The plot is energetic. . . . But most compelling is the acuteness of the details.â€â€”The Atlantic

From the Trade Paperback edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2013-03-12
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2013-03-12
Format	Kindle eBook