“In this gorgeous novel, the protagonist is
the setting. Although it’s full of interesting characters and surprising
events, and the narrative is spun with great skill, the true spell it
casts on the reader is the spell of atmosphere, its portrait of a time
and place so complete that this becomes reading experience that feels
like a life experience―the details are that vivid, and the immersion
that complete. Chicago is memorable, original, and full of passionate exploration.” ―Laura Kasischke, National Book Critics Circle Award winner for Space, In Chains
On
the last day of summer, some years ago, a young college graduate moves
to Chicago and rents a small apartment on the north side of the city, by
the vast and muscular lake. This is the story of the five seasons he
lives there, during which he meets gangsters, gamblers, policemen, a
brave and garrulous bus driver, a cricket player, a librettist, his
first girlfriend, a shy apartment manager, and many other riveting
souls, not to mention a wise and personable dog of indeterminate breed.
A
love letter to Chicago, the Great American City, and a wry account of a
young man's coming-of-age during the one summer in White Sox history
when they had the best outfield in baseball, Brian Doyle's Chicago is a novel that will plunge you into a city you will never forget, and may well wish to visit for the rest of your days.