The Understory
From AwardAnnals
 | |
| Author(s) | Pamela Erens |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ironweed Press |
| Honors | |
| Set in New York City and in a Buddhist monastery in rural Vermont, The Understory is both a mystery and a psychological study and reveals that repression and self-expression can be equally destructive. The perennially unemployed Jack Gorse is the center of this gripping novel. Entrapped by his obsessive-compulsive routines, he immerses himself in secondhand books and in his study of Central Park plant life, his two bulwarks against a world he finds overwhelming. An attraction to another man, a near stranger, takes Jack by surprise, destabilizes his precarious balance, and culminates in violence. The Understory will resonate with readers long after its dramatic conclusion. | |
Set in New York City and in a Buddhist monastery in rural Vermont, The Understory is both a mystery and a psychological study and reveals that repression and self-expression can be equally destructive.
The perennially unemployed Jack Gorse is the center of this gripping novel. Entrapped by his obsessive-compulsive routines, he immerses himself in secondhand books and in his study of Central Park plant life, his two bulwarks against a world he finds overwhelming. An attraction to another man, a near stranger, takes Jack by surprise, destabilizes his precarious balance, and culminates in violence. The Understory will resonate with readers long after its dramatic conclusion.
