An emotionally powerful book; it is organic, surprising, and edgy in a way that will appeal to male readers as well as female readers. It has the potential to be groundbreaking in its raw, honest portrayal of a just-barely-functioning family. Billy Lombardo is interested in the beauty of words. He is also a great observer of the world around him, and he is exquisite and precise in getting that world onto the page.

Billy Lombardo is the author of The Logic of a Rose: Chicago Stories, a Chicago Tribune "Best Fiction of 2005" selection. His novel Man With Two Arms is due from The Overlook Press in 2010.

• September 2009 Indie Next List
• August 2009 Indie Next List
• July 2009 Indie Next List