American Rust: (Wheeler Hardcover)

Set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, a lush landscape as deceptively promising as the edifices of the abandoned steel mills, American Rust is a novel of the lost American dream and the desperation that arises in its absence.

Review :
Praise for "American Rust"" " "I admire [Philipp Meyer's] writing so much. The same way, frankly, that I do Hemingway. [Mr. Meyer] ought to win the Pulitzer." -Patricia Cornwell, from a "New York Times "interview "Meyer has a thrilling eye for failed dreams and writes uncommonly tense scenes of violence . . . Fans of Cormac McCarthy or Dennis Lehane will find in Meyer an author worth watching."--"Publishers Weekly " "Powerful...brilliantly drawn...Unlike Hemingway or McCarthy, Meyer knows how to create heartbreakingly real female characters...Meyer's tone is less polemic than John Steinbeck's, but he's working on the same broad scale, using the struggles of a few desperate people to portray the tragedy of life in a place that offers no employment, no chance for improvement." "-Washington Post " "A hardboiled debut that seems particularly apt during the financial crisis." "-Wall Street Journal " ""American Rust" earns the grandiosity of its title...deep rich, even Important in its timely portrait of hard-luck America..." American Rust" combines the muscular pleasures of a Dennis Lehane thriller with a far-reaching meditation about where we're headed as a country." "-Daily Beast " "For all the books about the hobbled state of the American Dream, only a rare few have declared its death as brutally as Philipp Meyer's debut novel "American Rust,.".[A] ruthless and powerful book." "-Time Out New York " "Meyer is a young talent to watch closely...Meyer's tempo is exceptional...A special novel well worth reading." "-Fredericksburg Freelance Star " ""[American] Rust" is an engrossing drama..." "-Marie Claire " "Meyer'sgreatest strength as a novelist lies in his poignantly well-rounded characters...strongly recommended for all...fiction collections." "-Library Journal " "Meyer does a terrific job capturing the tone and ethos of his setting...the alternating narrators are compellingly drawn...a grimly powerful hybrid: provocative literary fiction crossed with a propulsive thriller." "-Kirkus " "In a third-person narrative that moves round-robin style from one character to the next, Meyer deftly captures individual speech patterns...never ceases to display a gift for evoking setting...." "-Bookforum" "A novel as splendidly crafted and original as any written in recent decades, "American Rust" is both darkly disturbing and richly compelling. Philipp Meyer's first novel signals the arrival of a new voice in American letters."--Patricia Cornwell, author of "Scarpetta " "With its strong narrative engine and understated social insight, "American Rust" is reminiscent of the best of Robert Stone and Russell Banks. Author Philipp Meyer locates the heart of his working class characters without false sentiment or condescension, and their world is artfully described. An extraordinary, compelling novel from a major talent."--George Pelecanos, author of "The Turnaround" "This is strong, clean stuff. Philipp Meyer deserves to be taken seriously."--Pete Dexter, author of "Paper Trails" "Philipp Meyer's "American Rust" is written with considerable dramatic intensity and pace. It manages an emotional accuracy, a deep and detailed conviction in its depiction of character. It also captures a sense of a menacing society, a wider world in the throes of decay andself-destruction."--Colm Toibin, author of "The Master " Praise for "American Rust " "A novel as splendidly crafted and original as any written in recent decades, "American Rust" is both darkly disturbing and richly compelling. Philipp Meyer's first novel signals the arrival of a new voice in American letters."--Patricia Cornwell, author of "Scarpetta " "With its strong narrative engine and understated social insight, "American Rust" is reminiscent of the best of Robert Stone and Russell Banks. Author Philipp Meyer locates the heart of his working class characters without false sentiment or condescension, and their world is artfully described. An extraordinary, compelling novel from a major talent."--George Pelecanos, author of "The Turnaround" "This is strong, clean stuff. Philipp Meyer deserves to be taken seriously."--Pete Dexter, author of "Paper Trails" "Philipp Meyer's "American Rust" is written with considerable dramatic intensity and pace. It manages an emotional accuracy, a deep and detailed conviction in its depiction of character. It also captures a sense of a menacing society, a wider world in the throes of decay and self-destruction."--Colm Toibin, author of "The Master " "Meyer has a thrilling eye for failed dreams and writes uncommonly tense scenes of violence . . . Fans of Cormac McCarthy or Dennis Lehane will find in Meyer an author worth watching."--"Publishers Weekly" "Philipp Meyer's "American Rust" is written with considerable dramatic intensity and pace. It manages an emotional accuracy, a deep and detailed conviction, in its depiction of character. It also captures a sense of a menacing society, a wider world in the throes of decay and self-destruction." --Colm Toibin, author of "The Master" and "The Blackwater Lightship "