Bewilderness
by Karen Tucker
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Pub Date Jun 01 2021 | Archive Date Jun 01 2021
Catapult, | Catapult
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Description
Irene, a lonely nineteen-year-old in rural North Carolina, works long nights at the local pool hall, serving pitchers and dodging drunks. One evening, her hilarious, magnetic coworker Luce invites her on a joy ride through the mountains to take revenge on a particularly creepy customer. Their adventure not only spells the beginning of a dazzling friendship, it seduces both girls into the mysterious world of pills and the endless hustles needed to fund the next high.
Together, Irene and Luce run nickel-tossing scams at the county fair and trick dealers into trading legit pharms for birth-control pills. Everything is wild and wonderful until Luce finds a boyfriend who wants to help her get clean. Soon the two of them decide to move away and start a new, sober life in Florida—leaving Irene behind.
Told in a riveting dialogue between the girls' addicted past and their hopes for a better future, Bewilderness is not just a brilliant, funny, heartbreaking novel about opioid abuse, it's also a moving look at how intense, intimate friendships can shape every young woman's life.
Advance Praise
An Electric Literature Most Anticipated Debut of the Year
A Rumpus Most Anticipated Book of Next Year
"This debut novel is filled with sharp, vivid descriptions of back roads and seedy meet-ups, which contrast with Irene’s dedication to Luce and her fervent belief in the future that might be possible if only the two of them can avoid thinking about Wilky's death and whether his fate, chosen or not, might also become their own. Absorbing and unflinching." —Kirkus Reviews
"Raw, powerful, and unflinching, the novel immerses readers in the minute-by-minute mindset of addiction. Tucker skillfully flips between past and present, swapping the language of sobriety for the slang of active addiction to give readers a full picture of the pair’s mental state. A natural fit for fans of Julie Buntin’s Marlena, Tucker’s novel champions the strength it takes to stay clean when every other decision is so much simpler." —Booklist (starred review)
"Punchy and heartfelt." —Library Journal
"Tucker astonishes in her devastating debut, a harrowing account of addiction, friendship, and loss . . . Tucker does a wonderful job locating Irene’s and Luce’s desire to live a better life beneath their tough exteriors . . . This keen awareness consistently adds depth and devastation. No matter the characters’ genuine longing to change, they are bound to their cyclical, unrelenting patterns. This is a stunning accomplishment." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Karen Tucker puts a human face on this ongoing public health catastrophe, as she tells the story of Irene and Luce, pill-addicts and best friends. More than merely evoking the desperation of opioid abuse, Bewilderness provides a funny and touching story of female friendship." —The Millions, One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year
"Tinglingly relevant." —Library Journal
"Karen Tucker's debut novel Bewilderness captures the relentless tug of addiction—to a person, to a substance, to a feeling—with wrenching honesty and insight. This fierce, heartbreaking story of female friendship and loss—narrated by the wise, sharply funny Irene—had me riveted from the first page. Read it, read it, read it." —Julie Buntin, author of Marlena
"This is a heartrending novel about addiction, love, and fragile starts, and it held me captive with its deft pacing and attention to detail. Tucker shows how the world is made up of small, unheralded stories—of great loves and senseless losses—and her novel sets out, and succeeds, to make us feel one of them." —Lydia Kielsing, author of The Golden State
“Karen Tucker has the chaotic truth-telling energy of a sage and a lack of sentimentality that would give Hunter S. Thompson stomach cramps. This is the novel the opiate epidemic needs.” —Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen and The Girls from Corona Del Mar
"Beautiful, gritty, and piercing, Bewilderness is a whirlwind journey through the highs and lows of friendship, love, and addiction. Luce and Irene are young, vulnerable, and utterly human, and you will root for them on every page despite their betrayals and failures. Karen Tucker fearlessly confronts the hardest question of all—why?— contrasting our brief and shining moments on this earth with the murky and inexplicable border between the here and hereafter. Bewilderness is a tough and tender heartbreak of a read." —Erika Carter, author of Lucky You
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781646220243 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 288 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Shey M, Reviewer
To say this is a cautionary tale about addiction would be true, but it wouldn't be fair. Bewilderness is a poignant novel that is as much about friendship, found families, and how the choices we make can reverberate across a lifetime - as it is about drugs. Set in rural North Carolina, Irene narrates her intense friendship with Luce in nonlinear fashion over the course of multiple years. She is darkly funny, surprisingly insightful, and as addicted to Luce as she is to other substances.
Rarely is female friendship portrayed accurately without veering into well-worn "Mean Girls" territory, but Tucker paints a portrait so authentic that it made me ache for friends I've long since drifted apart from. Throughout the novel, Irene and Luce's intimate bond is tested by abject poverty, new boyfriends, and the wavering will to stay clean. Yet, despite their faults, you never stop rooting for these two young women and the friendship that both destroys and sustains them.
Bewilderness is a beautiful, painful novel that strikes at the heart, without any trace of syrupy "after school special" prose. This is Tucker's debut novel and I'm already anticipating her next one.
CW: drug abuse, drug overdose, parental neglect, death, sexual assault/harassment, physical assault/ harassment
Jamie I, Bookseller
This book blew me away! It’s about friendship and family and the choices we make. Set in North Carolina surrounded by drug abuse that’s real and authentic. Luce is the main character and throughout she is put to the test against poverty, love and trying to stay clean.
This novel is powerful and beautiful and definitely one I’d recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.
Rubie C, Reviewer
I couldn't recommend this book enough! This book has everything! Struggles. Friendship. Addiction!
This story was enough to draw me in and not let go!
I loved the characters. They are some strong ladies!
Absolutely a beautifully written book.
Megan C, Educator
Really astounding account of.addictuon, recovery and friendship. I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I could know these women and wanted to help them.
Katherina M, Reviewer
I just finished Bewildered. I read it through in one sitting. I have not had a book hold my attention in that way for a long time. The book is raw; it is sad and it makes you think. As a nurse, I have seen so many addicts come through the doors of the Emergency Room. They are from all walks of life but the ones that really touch me are the younger people with their whole life ahead of them. This book is about 2 girls, early twenties who just started out using opioids to party. They soon were enjoying it so much. It made the harder things in life not so bad—until using takes over their life. I have heard lots of stories, lots of sad stories about addiction. This book seems to be very true to life. This book may be a culture shock for readers; to others it may be unbelievable. It’s true. It’s sad. The book is well-written and fast paced. It seems to be written from the heart. I give it 5 stars. I was provided an advance copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kaitlyn S, Reviewer
This book was one of the first books I have read in a long time that I found myself unable to put down. The friendship of Irene and Luce consumed me and I felt like I was on the journey with them. I felt each choice that they made and the pain that they felt. Despite this being a complex and heavy book, it still had parts that made me smile and was very easy to get consumed by. I really connected to this book because I live in a community like the one it describes. Rural Appalachia is beyond beautiful but, it also has a history of poverty and drug abuse. Bewilderness gave humanity to the characters facing these issues. So many other books try to strip that away. This book is one that will stick with me forever and that I will recommend to everyone I know.
Eileen K, Bookseller
This is a book you will not be able to put down. If you have any friends or family that have dealt with the roller coaster ride of addiction you will find this book compelling, disturbing and enlightening. The author takes you on an inside ride through the highs and lows of two best friends searching for a way out of their deadend existence. Their dedication to each other as well as the highs they search for will leave you racing to the end, hoping they find a way out and to a better life. Excellent read!
Brianna F, Reviewer
Wow. What a heavy look into life in addiction (and codependency). I wanted to punch Luce and shake Irene by her shoulders and wrap them both in warm blankets. The last tenth of Bewilderness DESTROYED me. I'm so grateful for an ARC of this and definitely will be buying a copy when it comes out.
Rachel D, Reviewer
A brilliant take on the life of addiction. This is not an easy read, but the story will keep you reading through the night. Heartwrenching and page-turning. A new author to follow. Talented beyond....
Catherine P, Bookseller
I didn’t want to give in, but I was weak. I thought I could handle just a few more pages, thought there was no way I would read more than another chapter. I should have known better...Bewilderness had me addicted, and I was up all night until I finished. Karen Tucker weaves an intoxicating tale of Irene & Luce, bored coworkers in what could be Anytown, USA, bonding together into a fast friendship of drugs, adventure, addiction, and codependency. Bewilderness isn’t for the faint of heart but is the eye-opener that many readers may need; while it is not marketed as a YA novel, it is capable of hooking a wide audience & will appeal to a broad range of readers.
Farrah D, Reviewer
BEWILDERNESS is a very honest and hard-hit ting look at opioid addiction in Small Town, America.
When the book starts, best friends Irene and Luce have been clean for a significant amount of time. But after tragedy strikes, their lives begin to spiral down towards old habits and temptations.
Mixed throughout the story are flashbacks that show the hardships they endured to get to where they are now.
It's an amazing look at their friendship. They definitely love and support each other but addiction also makes them co-dependant and enablers.
It's entirely narrated by Irene and the author does a fantastic job of subtly showing how her POV is influenced by her addiction and that other characters can see things more clearly.
Another thing I really like about this book is that it doesn't glamorize drug use at all. There's no wild parties or adventures where everyone is having fun getting high. Instead BEWILDERNESS keeps it real.
*thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Due for release June 1st.
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