Who Would Like This Book:
If you're a fan of sprawling family dramas with a twist of adventure and poetic grit, this one's for you! Veselka creates unforgettable, deeply flawed characters who feel fiercely real as they pinball from coast to coast and sea to shore in search of lost origins and new dreams. You'll get a taste of life at sea, the mythic weirdness of American landscapes, and the unique complexities of sisterhood. Lovers of literary fiction, Moby Dick-esque atmosphere, and stories about the bonds that form and test families will find plenty to treasure.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers may find the non-linear, episodic narrative a bit disorienting - there are intentional pauses and detours that can leave you feeling unsure if you've missed a page. The book's rambling plot and rugged, poetic prose aren’t always an easy ride, especially if you prefer tightly structured stories or neat resolutions. If you’re looking for simple answers or tidy character arcs, this book might just feel a bit too wild and sprawling.
About:
The Great Offshore Grounds by Vanessa Veselka is a bold and ambitious novel that follows the journey of Cheyenne and Livy, two sisters on a road trip to uncover the mystery of their birth mother. Along with their brother Essex, the trio embarks on a picaresque odyssey that takes them from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast and out to the great offshore grounds of the Pacific Ocean. The narrative is filled with twisty family dynamics, unconventional characters, and a mix of rugged and poetic prose that delves into themes of love, family, trauma, and the quest for personal agency.
The story is a powerful exploration of the complexities of family relationships, the search for identity, and the struggles of flawed yet compelling characters as they navigate through life's challenges. Vanessa Veselka's writing style shines through in her intricate storytelling, vivid descriptions of settings, and the way she captures the grit of the physical world experienced by her characters.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include themes of trauma, familial dysfunction, economic struggle, and mentions of assault.
From The Publisher:
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
WINNER OF THE OREGON BOOK AWARDS' KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION
A wildly original, cross-country novel that subverts a long tradition of family narratives and casts new light on the mythologies-national, individual, and collective-that drive and define us.
On the day of their estranged father's wedding, half sisters Cheyenne and Livy set off to claim their inheritance. It's been years since the two have seen each other. Cheyenne is newly back in Seattle, crashing with Livy after a failed marriage and a series of personal and professional dead ends. Livy works refinishing boats, her resentment against her freeloading sister growing as she tamps down dreams of fishing off the coast of Alaska. But the promise of a shot at financial security brings the two together to claim what's theirs. Except, instead of money, what their father gives them is information-a name-which forces them to come to grips with a long-held family secret. In the face of their new reality, the sisters and their adopted brother each set out on journeys that will test their faith in one another, as well as their definitions of freedom.
Moving from Seattle's underground to the docks of the Far North, from the hideaways of the southern swamps to the storied reaches of the Great Offshore Grounds, Vanessa Veselka spins a tale with boundless verve, linguistic vitality, and undeniable tenderness.
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The Great Offshore Grounds?
About the Author:
Vanessa Veselka is the author of the novel The Great Offshore Grounds, which won the Oregon Book Awards' Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award and the novel Zazen, which won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. Her…
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