Overview

From Deirdre McNamer, a masterful exploration of the rich and hidden facets of human character, as illuminated by the mysterious connections among the residents of a senior residence in Montana. At the deteriorating Pheasant Run, the occupants keep their secrets and sadnesses locked tight behind closed apartment doors. Kind Leo Umberti, formerly an insurance agent, now quietly spends his days painting abstract landscapes and mourning a long-ago loss. Down the hall, retired professor Rydell Clovis tries desperately to stay fit enough to restart a career in academia. Cassie McMackin, on the same floor, has seemingly lost everything--her husband and only child dead within months of each other--leaving her loosely tethered to this world. And a few doors away, her friend, Viola Six, is convinced of a criminal conspiracy involving the building's widely disliked manager, Herbie Bonebright. Cassie and Viola dream of leaving their unhappy lives behind, but one woman's plan is interrupted--and the other's unexpectedly set into motion--when a fire breaks out in Herbie's apartment. Called to investigate is the city's chief fire inspector. With a gift and a passion for sorting out the mysteries of flame, Lander Maki finds the fire itself, and the circumstances around it, highly suspicious. Viola has disappeared. So has Herbie. And a troubled teen, Clayton Spooner, was glimpsed fleeing the scene. In trying to fit together the pieces of this complicated puzzle, Lander finds himself learning more than expected about human nature and about personal and corporate greed as it is visited upon the vulnerable. Beautifully written and long awaited, from a writer with extraordinary emotional acuity and with a keen sense of the small detail that says it all (Chicago Tribune), Aviary weaves a compelling tapestry of crisis, grief, and the mysteries of memory and old age.

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9781571311382

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Reviews

A symphony of character, mystery, memory and hope, by one of America's finest writers. Aviary is a book to hold dear. --Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less Where would we be without the always magnificent Deirdre McNamer? With Aviary, she has given us her best work yet, a novel brimming, room after room, with all our mercies and our hauntings. This is a house you want to explore forever, where the smallest acts can be as potent as revelations, and where we, on every beautiful, hilarious, and heart-heavy page, learn a little bit more about ourselves. I didn't want to leave it--a book I will return to, often, for faith, for light. --Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth Praise for Deirdre McNamer McNamer writes with a slow-burning brilliance. --Barbara Kingsolver A wonderfully smart and surprising sentence-writer . . . This is 'the novel as story-telling.' And it is of a very high order. --Richard Ford A master weaver of prose. --Jim Harrison A careful writer, a master of the small, telling observation. --New York Times A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight. --Los Angeles Times McNamer has no formula, only a deep sense of human character . . . and a long sense of time. --San Francisco Chronicle [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal One of the west's finest contemporary novelists . . . McNamer's genius for capturing the unromantic realism of Montana really shines. --High Country News Praise for Red Rover An engaging and propulsive read that stirs profound emotions. --Alice Munro Such is the richness of the writing that one is constantly engaged with it on the levels of language, imagery, and wit, even as one is responding to the appeal of the story itself. --Lydia Davis Red Rover is wonderful for the tenderness and clear-eyed emotional intelligence with which it renders the heartbreak of beautiful young lives wrecked by the great grinding machinery of governments going about their business. And it's equally moving on the quiet heroism and solace of the ongoing repair work that has to follow such destruction. This is a book filled with the most perceptive kind of love for its characters, and sorrow for what they have to endure. --Jim Shepard Red Rover possesses such range and immediacy that I wondered how in a novel this length McNamer managed to have them both without sacrificing the very moving and humane story she tells. Amazingly, not a stitch is dropped in this remarkable book. --Thomas McGuane Coincidence, valor, betrayal, fate, and some dark fuel that burns beyond acceptance or forgiveness are the generative forces of Red Rover. . . . A harshly lovely lonely story played out against Montana's harshly lovely lonely land. --Joy Williams Praise for My Russian Remarkably tender . . . Carefully wrought . . . McNamer's book has blood coursing through its veins. --Salon My Russian is about the mutability of identity and the shifting forces, internal and external, that determine the stories we choose to call our lives. It's a riveting novel, written with grace and assurance. Serious readers should read this book. --Ann Beattie Fascinating . . . Nothing about this remarkable novel turns out in a conventional or predictable way. --New York Post Highly recommended . . . McNamer creates a character to care about in a bold, splendid novel. --Library Journal (starred review) Piercingly intuitive . . . The narrative pulses and flows like good poetry. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for One Sweet Quarrel Marvelous prose . . . McNamer's book is full of it, and full too of an unwavering commitment to, and wonder at, humanity. Add to those its grand story, its fine sense of irony and humor, its emotional accuracy, and One Sweet Quarrel becomes one sweet--and unforgettable--novel. --New York Times A work of extraordinary beauty . . . [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal Evocative . . . One Sweet Quarrel employs hauntingly poetic prose to recreate those distant days in the emerging West, back when each new dawn seemed to promise the possibility of an entirely new life. --Seattle Post-Intelligencer In vignettes so focused they often seem like actual memories, McNamer . . . creates a family saga that strikingly evokes time's passage. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) [McNamer is] a virtuoso of detail, irony and underlying complexity. --Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Praise for Rima in the Weeds A beautifully moving tale . . . This first novel has everything to be hoped for in a book--a compelling story, a mastery of dialogue and character, the satisfying sense of a pilgrimage undertaken and completed. --San Francisco Chronicle A splendid novel . . . Nothing that happens is quite what you'd expect, just as no one is quite what they seem on the surface. Everything packs a secret punch. --Chicago Tribune A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight, and in doing so, elevates this novel above the ordinary. --Los Angeles Times

Even when it hurts--and, if you have anything in the way of feelings, this novel will make you weep--Aviary is a cleansing antidote to the last few years of political and cultural turmoil, a salve to combat our still-raging health crisis, a tonic for our social media spinout . . . This quietly important book offers hope as it tackles grief and isolation and our essential humanity. --New York Times Book Review McNamer brings great care to describing her main characters as they gain a renewed purpose for living. This is a worth a spin. --Publishers Weekly [T]his is no geriatric whodunit, and author McNamer is not so concerned with exposing the perp . . . She's more interested in the indignities of old age, memory and loss, and what one character calls 'the secret of ongoingness.' --Kirkus Reviews Quietly revelatory . . . Populated by a motley crew of residents, Pheasant Run hides mysteries behind its many doors, and McNamer reveals them with insight, grace, and humor, offering up a profoundly beautiful exploration of the limits--and lack thereof--of the human experience. --Refinery29, Best New Books of 2021 McNamer weaves into this narrative the ripple effects of the 2008 financial crisis and the mismanagement of retirement communities, a setting that is particularly relevant now considering the way COVID-19 has ravaged these communities. With beautifully realized characters, a wonderfully constructed plot, and some understated but powerful prose, this novel is a delight from start to finish. --Booklist A symphony of character, mystery, memory and hope, by one of America's finest writers. Aviary is a book to hold dear. --Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less A riveting new novel by one of the great writers of our time, Aviary is a literary thriller that defies every expectation. Funny, tender, heartbreaking--a story of love and grief and mystery, of new beginnings found near the end of life. These pages stirred me deeply. This is a novel I've waited a long time for, and now that it's here, I plan to read it again and again.--Emily Ruskovich, author of Idaho Where would we be without the always magnificent Deirdre McNamer? With Aviary, she has given us her best work yet, a novel brimming, room after room, with all our mercies and our hauntings. This is a house you want to explore forever, where the smallest acts can be as potent as revelations, and where we, on every beautiful, hilarious, and heart-heavy page, learn a little bit more about ourselves. I didn't want to leave it--a book I will return to, often, for faith, for light. --Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth Praise for Deirdre McNamer McNamer writes with a slow-burning brilliance. --Barbara Kingsolver A wonderfully smart and surprising sentence-writer . . . This is 'the novel as story-telling.' And it is of a very high order. --Richard Ford A master weaver of prose. --Jim Harrison A careful writer, a master of the small, telling observation. --New York Times A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight. --Los Angeles Times McNamer has no formula, only a deep sense of human character . . . and a long sense of time. --San Francisco Chronicle [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal One of the west's finest contemporary novelists . . . McNamer's genius for capturing the unromantic realism of Montana really shines. --High Country News Praise for Red Rover An engaging and propulsive read that stirs profound emotions. --Alice Munro Such is the richness of the writing that one is constantly engaged with it on the levels of language, imagery, and wit, even as one is responding to the appeal of the story itself. --Lydia Davis Red Rover is wonderful for the tenderness and clear-eyed emotional intelligence with which it renders the heartbreak of beautiful young lives wrecked by the great grinding machinery of governments going about their business. And it's equally moving on the quiet heroism and solace of the ongoing repair work that has to follow such destruction. This is a book filled with the most perceptive kind of love for its characters, and sorrow for what they have to endure. --Jim Shepard Red Rover possesses such range and immediacy that I wondered how in a novel this length McNamer managed to have them both without sacrificing the very moving and humane story she tells. Amazingly, not a stitch is dropped in this remarkable book. --Thomas McGuane Coincidence, valor, betrayal, fate, and some dark fuel that burns beyond acceptance or forgiveness are the generative forces of Red Rover. . . . A harshly lovely lonely story played out against Montana's harshly lovely lonely land. --Joy Williams Praise for My Russian Remarkably tender . . . Carefully wrought . . . McNamer's book has blood coursing through its veins. --Salon My Russian is about the mutability of identity and the shifting forces, internal and external, that determine the stories we choose to call our lives. It's a riveting novel, written with grace and assurance. Serious readers should read this book. --Ann Beattie Fascinating . . . Nothing about this remarkable novel turns out in a conventional or predictable way. --New York Post Highly recommended . . . McNamer creates a character to care about in a bold, splendid novel. --Library Journal (starred review) Piercingly intuitive . . . The narrative pulses and flows like good poetry. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for One Sweet Quarrel Marvelous prose . . . McNamer's book is full of it, and full too of an unwavering commitment to, and wonder at, humanity. Add to those its grand story, its fine sense of irony and humor, its emotional accuracy, and One Sweet Quarrel becomes one sweet--and unforgettable--novel. --New York Times A work of extraordinary beauty . . . [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal Evocative . . . One Sweet Quarrel employs hauntingly poetic prose to recreate those distant days in the emerging West, back when each new dawn seemed to promise the possibility of an entirely new life. --Seattle Post-Intelligencer In vignettes so focused they often seem like actual memories, McNamer . . . creates a family saga that strikingly evokes time's passage. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) [McNamer is] a virtuoso of detail, irony and underlying complexity. --Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Praise for Rima in the Weeds A beautifully moving tale . . . This first novel has everything to be hoped for in a book--a compelling story, a mastery of dialogue and character, the satisfying sense of a pilgrimage undertaken and completed. --San Francisco Chronicle A splendid novel . . . Nothing that happens is quite what you'd expect, just as no one is quite what they seem on the surface. Everything packs a secret punch. --Chicago Tribune A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight, and in doing so, elevates this novel above the ordinary. --Los Angeles Times

Praise for Deirdre McNamer McNamer writes with a slow-burning brilliance. --Barbara Kingsolver A wonderfully smart and surprising sentence-writer . . . This is 'the novel as story-telling.' And it is of a very high order. --Richard Ford A master weaver of prose. --Jim Harrison A careful writer, a master of the small, telling observation. --New York Times A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight. --Los Angeles Times McNamer has no formula, only a deep sense of human character . . . and a long sense of time. --San Francisco Chronicle [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal One of the west's finest contemporary novelists . . . McNamer's genius for capturing the unromantic realism of Montana really shines. --High Country News Praise for Red Rover An engaging and propulsive read that stirs profound emotions. --Alice Munro Such is the richness of the writing that one is constantly engaged with it on the levels of language, imagery, and wit, even as one is responding to the appeal of the story itself. --Lydia Davis Red Rover is wonderful for the tenderness and clear-eyed emotional intelligence with which it renders the heartbreak of beautiful young lives wrecked by the great grinding machinery of governments going about their business. And it's equally moving on the quiet heroism and solace of the ongoing repair work that has to follow such destruction. This is a book filled with the most perceptive kind of love for its characters, and sorrow for what they have to endure. --Jim Shepard Red Rover possesses such range and immediacy that I wondered how in a novel this length McNamer managed to have them both without sacrificing the very moving and humane story she tells. Amazingly, not a stitch is dropped in this remarkable book. --Thomas McGuane Coincidence, valor, betrayal, fate, and some dark fuel that burns beyond acceptance or forgiveness are the generative forces of Red Rover. . . . A harshly lovely lonely story played out against Montana's harshly lovely lonely land. --Joy Williams Praise for My Russian Remarkably tender . . . Carefully wrought . . . McNamer's book has blood coursing through its veins. --Salon My Russian is about the mutability of identity and the shifting forces, internal and external, that determine the stories we choose to call our lives. It's a riveting novel, written with grace and assurance. Serious readers should read this book. --Ann Beattie Fascinating . . . Nothing about this remarkable novel turns out in a conventional or predictable way. --New York Post Highly recommended . . . McNamer creates a character to care about in a bold, splendid novel. --Library Journal (starred review) Piercingly intuitive . . . The narrative pulses and flows like good poetry. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for One Sweet Quarrel Marvelous prose . . . McNamer's book is full of it, and full too of an unwavering commitment to, and wonder at, humanity. Add to those its grand story, its fine sense of irony and humor, its emotional accuracy, and One Sweet Quarrel becomes one sweet--and unforgettable--novel. --New York Times A work of extraordinary beauty . . . [McNamer's] understanding of human nature and her ability to convey it to readers makes her one of the more remarkable writers of our times. --Milwaukee Journal Evocative . . . One Sweet Quarrel employs hauntingly poetic prose to recreate those distant days in the emerging West, back when each new dawn seemed to promise the possibility of an entirely new life. --Seattle Post-Intelligencer In vignettes so focused they often seem like actual memories, McNamer . . . creates a family saga that strikingly evokes time's passage. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) [McNamer is] a virtuoso of detail, irony and underlying complexity. --Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Praise for Rima in the Weeds A beautifully moving tale . . . This first novel has everything to be hoped for in a book--a compelling story, a mastery of dialogue and character, the satisfying sense of a pilgrimage undertaken and completed. --San Francisco Chronicle A splendid novel . . . Nothing that happens is quite what you'd expect, just as no one is quite what they seem on the surface. Everything packs a secret punch. --Chicago Tribune A strong, true voice . . . McNamer writes poetically, with restraint and insight, and in doing so, elevates this novel above the ordinary. --Los Angeles Times

Author Information

Deirdre McNamer is the author of four previous novels: Rima in the Weeds, One Sweet Quarrel, My Russian, and Red Rover, which was a winner of the Montana Book Award and was named a best book of the year by Artforum, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Her essays, short fiction, and reviews have appeared in the New Yorker, Ploughshares, the New York Times, and Outside, among other venues. McNamer chaired the fiction panel of the National Book Awards in 2011 and was a judge for the 2015 PEN/Faulkner Award. She has taught writing at Cornell University, Williams College, the University of Ohio, the University of Oregon, the University of Alabama, the University of Montana, and the Bennington Writing Seminars, where she currently holds a faculty position in the low-residency MFA program. She lives in Missoula, Montana.

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