Last Car Over the Sagamore Bridge (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780316224611)

Peter Orner zeroes in on the strange ways our memories define us: A woman's husband dies before their divorce is finalized; a man runs for governor of Illinois and loses much more than an election; two brothers play beneath the infamous bridge at Chappaquiddick. Employing the masterful compression for which he has been widely praised, Orner presents a kaleidoscope of individual lives viewed in startling, intimate close-up.

Whether writing of Geraldo Rivera's attempt to reveal the contents of Al Capone's vault or of a father and daughter trying to outrun a hurricane, Orner illuminates universal themes. In stories that span considerable geographic ground -- from Chicago to Wyoming, from Massachusetts to the Czech Republic -- he writes of the past we can't seem to shake, the losses we can't make up for, and the power of our stories to help us reclaim what we thought was gone forever.

"A ravishing collection, full of wisdom, grief, beauty, and especially surprise." -- Anthony Doerr, author of The Shell Collectors

Author: Peter Orner
ISBN-10: 0316224618
ISBN-13: 9780316224611
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Language: English
Published: 08/05/2014
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
New York Times Book Review 09/21/2014 pg. 24