Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Abundance

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Evicted from their trailer on New Year's Eve, Henry and his son, Junior, have been reduced to living out of a pickup truck. Six months later, things are even more desperate. Henry, barely a year out of prison for pushing opioids, is down to his last pocketful of dollars, and little remains between him and the street. But hope is on the horizon: Today is Junior's birthday, and Henry has a job interview tomorrow. To celebrate, Henry treats Junior to dinner at McDonald's, followed by a night in a real bed at a discount motel. For a moment, as Junior watches TV and Henry practices for his interview in the bathtub, all seems well. But after Henry has a disastrous altercation in the parking lot and Junior succumbs to a fever, father and son are sent into the night, struggling to hold things together and make it through tomorrow. In an ingenious structural approach, Jakob Guanzon organizes Abundance by the amount of cash in Henry's pocket. A new chapter starts with each debit and credit, and the novel expands and contracts, revealing the extent to which the quality of our attention is altered by the abundance-or lack thereof-that surrounds us. Set in an America of big-box stores and fast food, this incandescent debut novel reveals the inequities and anxieties around work, debt, addiction, incarceration, and health care in America today.
  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 18, 2021
      Guanzon debuts with a harrowing story of a man’s desperation and unyielding love for his son. Single father Henry has less than $100 to his name, and he’s planning on spending it on his son Junior’s eighth birthday present: a night in a hotel with a real bed and cable TV instead of sleeping in Henry’s truck. Recently released from a five-year prison sentence for possession of homemade fentanyl pills, Henry washes himself in the bathroom of a McDonald’s and lives on junk food, while Junior’s mother, Michelle, is nowhere to be found. Each chapter is titled after the dwindling amount of cash Henry has, while flashbacks show Henry’s brief windfall from a pill sale and struggle to foot the hospital bill for Junior’s delivery. Junior and Henry are all the other has, and Henry holds out hope that a job interview he has lined up at a call center will give them a shot at escaping their life of itinerancy. Unfortunately, Junior grows increasingly ill from their meager diet, and a violent altercation in a parking lot threatens to derail Henry’s plans. Guanzon’s descriptions of grinding poverty are visceral (pocket change rattles in Henry’s pocket “like tiny shackles”), and Henry’s attempts to fend off relentless adversity for the sake of his son are heartbreaking. This one hits hard. Agent: Chris Clemans, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      George Newbern's narration keeps listeners focused throughout scenes of heartbreaking choices. His voice sounds just a bit removed; however, this is in keeping with the audiobook's third-person narration and doesn't diminish its impact. Listeners hear how Henry and his 6-year-old son get by living out of a truck. Henry negotiates life based on the fluctuating amounts of money in his pocket while working as a day laborer. A trip to McDonald's and a birthday present for his son can create a major setback. In a parallel story, listeners learn about Henry's own difficult upbringing and how that experience informs his broken adult relationships. Newbern's performance of this powerhouse novel hits the right notes throughout. S.P.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading