
Bluff City Pawn (Hardcover)
A Novel
Bloomsbury USA, 9781620406359, 304pp.
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Description
Huddy Marr, the proprietor of Bluff City Pawn shop in Memphis, is good at what he does: he knows jewelry, he knows guns and guitars. But the neighborhood is changing: A blood bank is set to open across the street from the retail space he leases from his brother Joe, and Huddy wants to move to a less seedy part of town. A pawn shop should stay right on the edge of seedy.
When a longtime client dies, his widow calls Huddy to come appraise his considerable gun collection. If he can buy up the guns, Huddy knows he can make a killing, possibly change his fortunes for good. But he needs cash up front, and for that he needs Joe. Soon the restless youngest, Harlan, is also involved-they could use the manpower to move the haul-and slowly the brothers' old family dynamics reassert themselves.
There is trouble inherent in these wares. There is trouble inherent in this family. And there is something inherent to Memphis . . . something that means a change of fortune can't come easy.
Stephen Schottenfeld's first novel is a masterful depiction of a city, a business, and a family. It is an investigation of class and law, ownership and value, loyalty, betrayal, and blood; one that gathers power and resonates long after it's done.
About the Author
Praise For Bluff City Pawn: A Novel…
“Bluff City Pawn is an absorbing, relevant, and literary thriller about desperation, trust and betrayal, brotherhood, Memphis, and the highest and lowest ends of consumerism - the secondhand world of the downtrodden, and the rarified world of collectors of the esoteric. If you care about class and capitalism in America right now – and you should – then this is your novel.” —Anthony Doerr, author of The Shell Collector
“Bluff City Pawn is a rare achievement -- beautifully written, packed with life and infused with a deliciously subtle suspense. The result is an irresistibly gripping novel that unfolds with mesmerizing clarity.” —Joanna Scott, author of Follow Me
“Stephen Schottenfeld's Bluff City Pawn is a taut, beautifully written novel that has a rare, almost feverish propulsion. Some people might call it a page turner. So be it. For me, I only wanted to slow down and savor. From the very first paragraph, I was completely immersed in Huddy's vivid world. Best of all, he's among the most unforgettable characters I've read in recent years.” —Peter Orner, author of Love and Shame and Love