"The story of Earl, a 17-year-old boy who goes to prison for a crime he didn't commit"--
Released from prison after serving 40 years for a crime he didnt commit, Earl finds his way to a small town on the Oregon coast where he hopes to establish a sense of freedom until his past returns, threatening to upend his new life. 25,000 first printing.
A GUT PUNCH OF A NOVELlyrical, mordantly funny, and wrenching. Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble
The searing and unforgettable story of one decision that irrevocably changes the course of a young mans life.
In the early 1970s, in Stovall, Texas, seventeen-year-old Earla loner, dreamer, lover of music and wordsmeets and is quickly infatuated with Tina, the new girl in town. Tina convinces Earl to drive her to see her mother in Austin, where Earl and Tina are quickly separated. Two days later, Earl is being questioned by the police about Tinas disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. But Earl cant remember what happened in Austin, and with little support from his working-class family, he is sentenced for a crime he did not commit.
Forty years later, Earl is released into an America so changed that he can barely navigate it. Determined to have the life that was taken from him, he settles in a small town on the Oregon coast and struggles to overcome the emotional toll of incarceration. But just as Earl finds a chance to begin again, his past returns to endanger the new life hes built.
Steeped in the music and atmosphere of the 1970s, I Am the Light of This World is a gritty, gripping, and gorgeously written story of the impulsive choices of youth, redemption, mercy, and the power of the imagination.
Acclaimed author Michael Parker tells the searing and unforgettable story of one decision that irrevocably changes the course of a young mans life.
In the early 1970s, in Stovall, Texas, seventeen-year-old Earla loner, dreamer, lover of music and wordsmeets Tina, the new girl in town. Tina convinces Earl to drive her to see her mother in Austin, where Earl and Tina are quickly separated. Two days later, Earl is being questioned by the police about Tinas disappearance and the blood in the trunk of his car. But Earl cant remember what happened in Austin, and with little financial support from his working-class family, he is sentenced for a crime he did not commit.
Forty years later, Earl is released into a world he can barely navigate. Settling in a small town on the Oregon coast, he attempts to establish a sense of freedom from both bars and razor wire and the emotional toll of incarceration. But just as Earl finds the rhythm hes always sought, his past returns to endanger the new life hes built.
Steeped in the music and atmosphere of the 1970s, I Am the Light of This World is a gritty, gripping, and gorgeously written story of loss, redemption, and the power of the imagination, perfect for fans of Ron Rash, Rachel Kushner, and Laird Hunt.