Indies Introduce

Fiction

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  Bloomland, John Englehardt
  Dzanc Books, 9781945814938, September 10, 2019 (Fiction)
  

   

  “This book, the story of gun violence on a university campus and its aftermath as told from the perspective of a student, the shooter, and a teacher, is truly remarkable. I could not put this book down. With some of the most breathtaking passages about love and loss that I have ever read, I will be thinking of Bloomland for a very long time.”

  Hillary Smith, Copperfield’s Books, Calistoga, CA
  
  

  “In our current place in American history, this story brings into focus the people caught up in the drama of a mass shooting — at a time when it has become such a part of the fabric of our culture that we don’t even blink when we hear, once again, that such an outrage has taken place. Bloomland starts at the beginning, following the characters from their early days to the point of the shooting and then into the aftermath. Beautifully written and compelling, this is, sadly, a story for our age.”

  Jessica Osborne, E. Shaver, Bookseller, Savannah, GA
  

   

  “Englehardt’s stunning debut is not for the faint of heart; within the first few pages, a shooting occurs in the library of a fictional southern college. But the story is less about this horrific event than it is about the period leading up to it, and what happens to three different people — a student, a professor, and the shooter himself —in the aftermath. In prose that is vivid, specific, and wildly original, Englehardt shows how grief, disillusionment, and — in some cases — resilience can take lives in surprising directions. This is SO good.”

  Erika VanDam, RoscoeBooks, Chicago, IL