A powerful and moving new novel from an award-winning, acclaimed author: in the wake of a devastating revelation, a father and son journey north across a tapestry of towns.
When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn't have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son--a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.
Traveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome them into their homes, others who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs are wary of their presence. When they press toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder, and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach "Z," the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say good-bye to his son?
Mysterious and evocative, Census is a novel about free will, grief, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love, from one of our most captivating young writers.
About the Author :
Jesse Ball was born in New York. He is the author of fourteen books, most recently the novel How to Set a Fire and Why. His works have been published to acclaim in many parts of the world and translated into more than a dozen languages. He is on the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 2017 was named one of Granta's Best of Young American Novelists. He won the 2008 Paris Review Plimpton Prize, was long-listed for the National Book Award, and has been a fellow of the NEA, Creative Capital, and the Guggenheim Foundation.
Chris Andrew Ciulla, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a credited actor, host, voice actor, producer, boxing commentator/analyst, and radio personality. In addition to frequent film, television, and on-camera commercial work, he has voiced characters for the popular video game titles Fallout 4 and Mafia III and can be heard in national commercial campaigns. A versatile performer with over fifteen years of experience, he has dedicated his life to entertaining people.
Review :
Census is a vital testament to selfless love, a psalm to commonplace miracles, and a mysterious evolving metaphor. So kind, it aches.
-- "David Mitchell, New York Times bestselling author"
An ethereal meditation on love, the duty of a caretaker, and mortality.
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
An intensely moving and dazzlingly imagined journey...A devastatingly powerful call for understanding and compassion.
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
Ball's poignant dedication to his late older brother Adam, who had Down syndrome, adds yet another layer of complexity to this surreal and powerful story....grounded by the most enduring theme of familial love.
-- "Esquire"
Focusing on how to protect our own after we are gone in the face of ignorance, cruelty, and disregard, this work combines a travel adventure with a meditation on human kindness to create a deeply perceptive work of essential truths. Highly recommended for all readers.
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
Mysterious, mesmerizing, and insightful...Ball's mind-bending, gorgeously well told, and profoundly moving fable celebrates a father's love for his son, whose quintessence is to inspire people to be their better selves.
-- "Booklist (starred review)"
Narrator Chris Ciulla uses the gentle tone of a person telling a folktale in this allegorical story...Ciulla's easygoing narration style carries a tone of acceptance that highlights Ball's poetic prose and brings home the fact that no one can love a brother more than his own brother. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.
-- "AudioFile"
