Desert Blues

Synopsis

An orphaned teenager moves in with his cocktail-waitress aunt in 1950s Palm Springs, in a novel with &“its full share of hilarious, and touching, moments&” (Booklist). &“Swinging from poignant drama to edgy satire to farce, Albert&’s moving and funny first novel pairs an awkward orphaned adolescent immersed in 1950s rock &’n&’ roll and an unconventional &‘kept&’ woman. In 1957, confused, taciturn and fat 15-year-old Harold Abelstein, survivor of a car crash that killed his parents, goes to live with his Aunt Enid, a Palm Springs, Calif., cocktail waitress whose flowery perfumes, loud talk and constant pinching and touching make him uncomfortable. Enid&’s rent and car are provided gratis by her part-time lover, incredibly self-absorbed Archie Blatt, a St. Louis garment manufacturer who pops in a few times a year to escape his invalid wife and teenage daughters. Though resenting her dependence, Enid faces a bigger problem when her manipulative, self-pitying father, Abe, who walked out on the family 25 years ago, suddenly reappears, shabby, reeking of whiskey and terminally ill. Tensions snap as Abe grows ever sicker and then Archie shows up, forcing four disparate souls to fitfully coexist under one roof. With a fine ear for dialogue, Albert perfectly captures a time and place—and the emotional chafing between family members who can't help but care for one another, despite themselves.&” —Publishers Weekly

Copyright:

1994

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

172 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781497633155

Related ISBNs:

9781877946493

Publisher:

Open Road Media

Date of Addition:

10/07/23

Copyrighted By:

Bill Albert

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Biographies and Memoirs, Literature and Fiction, Parenting and Family, Humor

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.