Florida man : a novel

Title:

Author:

Cooper, Thomas, author.

Personal Author:

Cooper, Thomas, author.

ISBN:

9780593133316

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 382 pages ; 25 cm

Abstract:

"Florida, circa 1980. Reed Crowe, the eponymous Florida Man, is a middle-aged beach bum, beleaguered and disenfranchised, living on ill-gotten gains deep in the jungly heart of Florida. When sinkholes start opening on Emerald Island, not only are Reed Crowe's seedy businesses--a moribund motel and shabby amusement park--endangered but so are his secrets. Crowe, amateur spelunker, begins uncovering artifacts that change his understanding of the island's history, as well as his understanding of his family's birthright as pioneering homesteaders. As this unfolds, Crowe has to contend with Hector 'Catface' Morales, a Cuban refugee, trained assassin, and crack-addicted Marielito, seeking revenge on Reed for stealing his stash of drugs and leaving him for dead (unbeknownst to Reed) in the wreckage of a plane crash in the Everglades decades ago. Meanwhile, there are other Florida men with whom Crowe must contend ... There are curses. There are sea monsters. There are biblical storms. There's something called the Jupiter Effect. Ultimately, Florida Man is a generation-spanning story about how a man decides to live his life, and how despite staying landlocked and stubbornly in one place, the world nevertheless comes to him"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Middle-aged men -- Fiction.

Islands -- Fiction.

Antiquities -- Fiction.

Assassins -- Fiction.

Revenge -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Florida -- Fiction.

Genre:

Thrillers (Fiction)

Magic realist fiction.

Suspense fiction.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Belmont	Book	FICTION COOPER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Broad Rock	Book	FICTION COOPER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ginter Park	Book	FICTION COOPER	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westover Hills	Book	FICTION COOPER	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

"A riotous journey into the heart of insanity also known as the State of Florida. Bravo!"--Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success

Florida, circa 1980. Reed Crowe, the eponymous Florida Man, is a middle-aged beach bum, beleaguered and disenfranchised, living on ill-gotten gains deep in the jungly heart of Florida. When sinkholes start opening on Emerald Island, not only are Reed Crowe's seedy businesses--a moribund motel and a shabby amusement park--endangered, but so are his secrets. Crowe, amateur spelunker, begins uncovering artifacts that change his understanding of the island's history, as well as his understanding of his family's birthright as pioneering homesteaders.

Meanwhile, there are other Florida men with whom Crowe must contend. Hector "Catface" Morales, a Cuban refugee, trained assassin, and crack-addicted Marielito, is seeking revenge on Reed for stealing his stash of drugs and leaving him for dead (unbeknownst to Reed) in the wreckage of a plane crash in the Everglades decades ago. Loner and misanthrope Henry Yahchilane, a Seminole native, has something to hide on the island. So does irascible and pervy Wayne Wade, Reed Crowe's childhood friend turned bad penny. Then there are the Florida women, including Heidi Karavas, Reed Crowe's ex-wife, now a globe-trekking art curator, and Nina Arango, a Cuban refugee and fiercely protective woman with whom Reed Crowe falls in love. There are curses. There are sea monsters. There are biblical storms. There's something called the Jupiter Effect.

Ultimately, Florida Man is a generation-spanning story about how a man decides to live his life, and how despite staying landlocked and stubbornly in one place, the world nevertheless comes to him.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A beach bum who's a magnet for bad juju struggles to maintain his hard-knock life and idle pleasures amid the heat-seeking trouble headed his way. Gulf Coast native Cooper made a memorable debut with The Marauders (2015). This second act delivers an even messier, nastier, more brutal, and engaging yarn that spans decades on a remote outpost deep in the wilds of Florida. Most crime novels zero in on a single target: a murder, a heist, or just regular bloody revenge. In this fascinating decadeslong trek, we follow perpetually stoned Reed Crowe and his nearly endless run of bad luck. Our titular loser is stuck, both psychically and physically, on Emerald Island, one of those fabled tourist traps from the 1950s, where Reed, circa 1980, manages a run-down motel and a pathetic amusement park, The Florida Man Mystery House. There's an ex-wife, an internationally known artist named Heidi, as well as the memory of their dead little girl, Lily, which haunts him daily. As in many small towns, the denizens of Emerald Island live in a state of perpetual, tentative détente that threatens to erupt into violence at any moment. Among them are Wayne Wade, Reed's pervy, drug-addled buddy; a kid named Eddie Maldonado who insists on helping with Reed's various schemes; and most importantly, Henry Yahchilane, a quiet but dangerous loner who marks Reed as a threat to one of his most closely held secrets. Things get way out of hand when a villain named Hector "Catface" Morales, a Mariel boatlift veteran and sadistic assassin long thought dead, resurfaces with a plan to punish Reed for a dope deal gone wrong years ago. Add a few biblical hurricanes, the occasional sea monster, and Jimmy Buffet and stir. This cocktail's recipe would be one part Travis McGee, one part Carl Hiaasen, and a salt shaker full of magical realism. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.