Great American Plain A Novel

by Sernovitz, Gary

• ISBN13: 9780805067774
• ISBN10: 0805067779
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-10-16
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Summary

Edward Steinke, with all the ambition and steadfastness of his 24 years, believes in only one thing: Perfect Execution. This is the sales technique from the 1954 masterpieceClassic Sales:Theory and Technique, Ed's secular New Testament. Unfortunately for Ed, he is selling the Brackett 180-X piano organ at the South Exhibition Hall of a large Midwestern state fair, and Perfect Execution is proving perfectly useless. Barry Steinke, Ed's sullen, cocky younger brother and employee, is less than supportive: having already surrendered his adolescent dreams of becoming a rockabilly superstar with his group, The Hotels, he cannot understand Ed's commitment to professional success. Through the eyes of their parents, customers, and ex-girlfriends, we come to see that, in Ed and Barry's running struggle, what is at stake is nothing less than their conception of themselves and the world. Between the brothers comes Leila Genet, imaginative but timid, frozen by life, who wanders the hall looking to escape into "the stupid happiness of the Fair." Barry falls in love with her. Ed falls into doubt, debt, and-perhaps-in love with Leila too. And then comes the surprisingly difficult matter of convincing Leila that neither of them are, in fact, as maladjusted as they seem. Great American Plain is a cross between John Updike'sThe Poorhouse Fairand Nicholson Baker'sThe Mezzanine-and, with its large cast, deeply humane vision, and three unforgettable characters, it establishes Gary Sernovitz not only as a uniquely gifted writer but one of the funniest voices to appear in years.

Author Biography

Gary Sernovitz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and now lives in New York City.