American Purgatorio

American Purgatorio is the story of a happily married man who discovers, as he walks out of a convenience store, that his wife has suddenly vanished. In cool, precise prose, written as both a detective story and a meditation on the seven deadly sins, Haskell tells a story that ranges from the browns [...]
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American Purgatorio is the story of a happily married man who discovers, as he walks out of a convenience store, that his wife has suddenly vanished. In cool, precise prose, written as both a detective story and a meditation on the seven deadly sins, Haskell tells a story that ranges from the brownstones of New York City to the sandy beaches of Southern California. The novel follows the journey of a man whose object of desire is both heartbreaking and ephemeral, and confirms John Haskell's reputation as "one of those rare authors who makes language seem limitless in its possibilities" (Los Angeles Times).


Make no mistake: this is not an ordinary novel . . . [it's] a literary affirmation of fiction's potential to go beyond mere scene . . . and tap into the deepest roots of human motive."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Gutsy, weirdly engrossing . . . Turn the last page and you'll realize that this strange, moving book has done just what a first novel should: It has left an impression."--The New York Times Book Review

"One of those books that sets the reader's mind in new directions."--Houston Chronicle

"All suspicions are now confirmed. Haskell is a terrific writer."--The Buffalo News

John Haskell is the author of a short-story collection, I Am Not Jackson Pollock. His work has appeared in Granta, The Paris Review, Conjunctions, and Ploughshares. A contributor to the NPR radio program The Next Big Thing, Haskell lives in Brooklyn, New York.