Water and Abandon - (Flyover Fiction) by Robert Vivian (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

It's been a year since the body of seventeen-year-old Kelsey Little was found in the river outside Dark Vespers, Nebraska. Although the town may have reached an uneasy equilibrium, those who loved her most have certainly not: Javier Martinez, her troubled ex-boyfriend and the father of the child no one knew she was carrying; Sam and Hank, her parents, whose marriage is coming apart under the pressure of grief and not-knowing; and Ike Parrish, a reclusive eccentric whose clairvoyant "river spells" compel him to come forward with information about Kelsey's disappearance and death.

A prismatic look at the impact of loss on individual lives, Water and Abandon tells the moving and paradoxical story of those brought together by the very thing that tears them apart. Haunted by Kelsey's death, each struggles with his or her own demons of blame and guilt, despair and fury--until one, in a confusion of pain, grief, and unrequited love, decides to do something dire. As deeply felt as it is finely crafted, the novel confirms Robert Vivian's place among the most compelling fiction writers of our day.

Review Quotes

"In a mesmerizing story that unfolds at a leisurely pace, Vivian deftly illustrates the fragility of life and the consuming nature of loss. Readers who enjoy literary fiction that delves into the nuances of the human psyche will want to read this novel."--Library Journal

"Robert Vivian's new gorgeous, haunting novel--so lyrical, precise, and finely wrought--takes us deep into the secret recesses of human life in Dark Vespers, Nebraska, exploring with both grace and power what it is that we can and cannot truly know about one another."--Richard McCann, author of Mother of Sorrows -- (3/16/2012 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Robert Vivian is a professor of English and creative writing at Alma College in Michigan and a core faculty member in the low-residency MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author of, most recently, The Least Cricket of Evening and the Tall Grass Trilogy, which includes The Mover of Bones, Lamb Bright Saviors, and Another Burning Kingdom, all available from the University of Nebraska Press.