Carter Clay - by Elizabeth Evans (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Drunk, and driving a van down a Florida highway, Carter Clay, a Vietnam vet at loose ends, irrevocably shatters the lives of the Altiz family, killing Joe and seriously injuring his wife, Katherine, and their daughter, Jersey, in a hit-and-run accident. Horrified, Clay seeks redemption, while still concealing his culpability, by becoming the questionable caretaker of the two survivors' damaged lives--eventually imposing upon them the baggage of his past and his haphazard faith in God. Suspenseful, psychologically complex, and inhabited by characters that will haunt your memory long after you have turned the last page, Carter Clay is a finely wrought tale of the frailty of identity and the possibility of redemption.

From the Back Cover

Drunk, and driving a van down a Florida highway, Carter Clay, a Vietnam vet at loose ends, irrevocably shatters the lives of the Altiz family, killing Joe and seriously injuring his wife, Katherine, and their daughter, Jersey, in a hit-and-run accident. Horrified, Clay seeks redemption, while still concealing his culpability, by becoming the questionable caretaker of the two survivors' damaged lives -- eventually imposing upon them the baggage of his past and his haphazard faith in God. Suspenseful, psychologically complex, and inhabited by characters that will haunt your memory long after you have turned the last page, Carter Clay is a finely wrought tale of the frailty of identity and the possibility of redemption.

Review Quotes

""Carter Clay" is thrilling in its enormous ambition and intelligence. Elizabeth Evans is a fearless writer. After reading this novel, I'm convinced that there's nothing that she can't do." -- Ann Patchett"Beautiful, mysterious, and superbly written, "Carter Clay" is an enthralling and profound meditation on the accidents of fate that can often cause life to slip beyond our control." -- Oscar Hijuelos"In this absorbing tale of sin, suffering, and redemption, at once poignant and grotesque, Elizabeth Evans has proved herself worthy--as few writers do--of comparison with Flannery O'Connor. But hers is the more generous vision, I think, and the more compassionate." -- Nancy Mairs"Once in a great while, a writer is able to evoke the true enigmatic complexity of redemption. Elizabeth Evan's novel not only offers us grace, but it does so in exquisite and heartrending prose." -- Jill Ciment From the wreckage of a senseless hit-and-run collsion, Evans salvages a brave yet delicate novel that succeeds beautifully despite the unlikeliness of its plot. . . .Evans's provocative, exclamatory prose sallies forth with rhetorical devices--puns, arch questions, italic emphasis--that bring her contemporary Lorrie Moore to mind."-- "Publishers Weekly, " Starred Review"Agonizing, uncompromising southern gothic that glares unflinchingly at the cultural motifs of sin and redemption as they reassemble the shattered life of a burned-out Vietnam Vet. . . .A masterful story of simple people trying to understand God's inhumanity to man."-- "Kirkus Reviews, " Starred review"While many novelists emulate Feodor Dostoevski, Elizabeth Evans actually approaches his brilliance in "Carter Clay, " a tense, psychologicalpage-turner that resonates on many levels."--" Minneapolis Star Tribune""Like Scott Smith's novel "A Simple PLan.".."Carter Clay" demonstrates with awful clarity the unintended consequences of good intentions. And like Elizabeth Evans' fine first novel, it shows a novelist working her way into the literary stratosphere."-- "Newsday"""Carter Clay" is brave and fascinating."-- Sandra Scofield, "Chicago Tribune""Evans defly examines culture's preoccupation with crime and punishment and who will be redeemed and at what price. ....A fine writer."-- "Denver Post"One of the best books of 1999.--Los Angles Times Book Review

"While many novelists emulate Fyodor Dostoevski, Elizabeth Evans actually approaches his brilliance in Carter Clay, a tense, psychological page-turner that resonates on many levels". -- MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE