{"product_id":"the-kingdom-of-sand-paperback","title":"The Kingdom of Sand - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAndrew Holleran\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW \u003c\/i\u003eEDITORS' CHOICE AND PAPERBACK ROW\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[Holleran's] new novel is all the more affecting and engaging because the images of isolation and old age here are haunted . . . In 1978 Holleran wrote the quintessential novel about gay abandon, the sheer, careless pleasure of it: \u003ci\u003eDancer from the Dance\u003c\/i\u003e. Now, at almost eighty years of age, he has produced a novel remarkable for its integrity, for its readiness to embrace difficult truths and for its complex way of paying homage to the passing of time.\" --Colm Tóibín, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"It's rare to find fiction that takes this kind of dying of the light as its subject and doesn't make its heroes feel either pathetic or polished with a gleam of false dignity . . . This sad, beautiful book captures the sensations Holleran's characters are chasing--as well as the darkness that inevitably comes for them, and us.\" --Mark Athitakis, \u003ci\u003e Los Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eOne of the great appeals of Florida has always been the sense that the minute you get here you have permission to collapse.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Kingdom of Sand\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant tale of desire and dread--Andrew Holleran's first new book in sixteen years. The nameless narrator is a gay man who moved to Florida to look after his aging parents--during the height of the AIDS epidemic--and has found himself unable to leave after their deaths. With gallows humor, he chronicles the indignities of growing old in a small town. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the heart of the novel is the story of his friendship with Earl, whom he met cruising at the local boat ramp. For the last twenty years, he has been visiting Earl to watch classic films together and critique the neighbors. Earl is the only person in town with whom he can truly be himself. Now Earl's health is failing, and our increasingly misanthropic narrator must contend with the fact that once Earl dies, he will be completely alone. He distracts himself with sexual encounters at the video porn store and visits to Walgreens. All the while, he shares reflections on illness and death that are at once funny and heartbreaking. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHolleran's first novel, \u003ci\u003eDancer from the Dance\u003c\/i\u003e, is widely regarded as a classic work of gay literature. Reviewers have described his subsequent books as beautiful, exhilarating, seductive, haunting, and bold. \u003ci\u003eThe Kingdom of Sand \u003c\/i\u003edisplays all of Holleran's considerable gifts; it's an elegy to sex and a stunningly honest exploration of loneliness and the endless need for human connection, especially as we count down our days.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAndrew Holleran's first novel, \u003ci\u003eDancer from the Dance\u003c\/i\u003e, was published in 1978. He is also the author of the novels \u003ci\u003eNights in Aruba\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Beauty of Men\u003c\/i\u003e; a book of essays, \u003ci\u003eGround Zero \u003c\/i\u003e(reissued as\u003ci\u003e Chronicle of a Plague, Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e); a collection of short stories, \u003ci\u003e In September, the Light Change\u003c\/i\u003es; and a novella, \u003ci\u003eGrief.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8 x 4.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 06, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52531093111091,"sku":"9781250869036","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/Mzk5VGE1ZjNrK0dTNU4vY1UxSGt6QT09.webp?v=1760698640","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/the-kingdom-of-sand-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}