Overview

Abduction or escape? Muriel has vanished from the senior home, and young Eve is behind the wheel, driving north in search of answers. With newfound courage, this Boomer and Zoomer forge an unlikely bond, discovering truths about themselves and each other-while their families are in hot pursuit. Now it's up to me, the getaway car and constant witness, to tell you everything!! Set aside what you think you know about generation gaps as Muriel and Eve put it all to the test. This ""shaggy and comic road novel"" (Kirkus Reviews) challenges our notions of dementia and elder care, sexuality, the difference between religion and spirituality, and the complex world of Teenagedom set against the tedium of late-Adulthood. Friendship, family and liberation quite literally drive the action. Oh, and the narrator is the car! ""It falls on me to tell Eve's story, which is equally Muriel's story, and my own. I cannot fully explain how I am able to tap into others' minds to share the parts where I wasn't physically present. I have theories, and we'll get to that, but at the risk of taxing your patience in the opening moments of this drama, suffice it to say that Yes, I am a car, and No, I do not talk or fly or have absurd magical powers. I cannot drive myself or even pop my trunk without a human turning the key, and before we go any further with your sensible questions about my unusual omniscience, it's far more important that you learn more about Eve before she finishes tying her shoe.""

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9781737359173

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Reviews

"""Michael Grant is a natural storyteller, literally setting the wheels in motion from the start. He has an eye for detail and obvious compassion for his characters, equally attuned to both teenage Eve and her octogenarian fellow runaway, Muriel. This is a road trip story unlike any you've read before, so jump into the back seat and enjoy the ride."" -Jennifer Armstrong, author of over 50 books including 'Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World'. Many of her books have been designated as Notable Books by the American Library Association and the International Reading Association. ""This is a capacious page-turner of a novel, old-fashioned in all the best ways. Grant engages the imagination and lifts the spirits as he draws on a singular mix of delightful influences: Imagine Thelma, Louise, and Herbie the Love Bug eating fried green tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café. With its poignant plotting, nimble prose and winking humor, Joy Ride is a joyful read."" - Jim Gladstone, writer and cultural journalist, author of 'The Big Book of Misunderstanding.' ""Michael Grant has written a thoroughly entertaining road trip bildungsroman whose principal characters consider their lives from opposite ends of existential crisis - the youthful angst of the as-yet-unknown, and a fading wisdom of how to accept the ultimately unknowable. With pathos and subversive humor, Grant constructs an intelligent framework for the plot, with a clever choice for narrator. All the elements of good storytelling are on display, told through prose with velocity and wit. It's a novel worthy of your consideration."" -Chris Millis, author, screenwriter ""Michael Grant's novel is a unique exploration of generational relationships and captures the truth that human connection supersedes age or circumstance. Michael Grant does a brilliant job of weaving his characters' many back stories into an entertaining page turner. Joy Ride illustrates that age has no limit on friendship, understanding, forgiveness and hope. Redemption is a beautiful thing especially when it involves a Cadillac! Bravo Michael Grant!"" -Candice Rosen, author ""Joy Ride is indeed an excursion, immersing the reader in a journey that highlights generational priorities and pitfalls. Grant deftly captures the essences of a teen girl and an aging woman, putting their nuances into a delightful interplay as the two fumble through life on the lam. From the scent of a car that's out of its era to the physical repercussions of aging, the book hits all the senses. Joy Ride drives the reader through the intersections of family, religion, and identity, carefully considering their complexities. Grant gives his readers a front row in the backseat of the book's titular Cadillac to an engrossing story whose truths echo through all of our lives."" -Julie Casper Roth, Filmmaker-Educator"

Author Information

Michael Jai Grant is an American fiction writer, filmmaker, and photographer.Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, he hails from a lineageof attorneys, teachers, and scientists who profoundly influenced his perceptionof justice and reason. He subtly interweaves semi-autobiographicalelements into narratives of heightened significance. Michael pursuedhis education at Syracuse and Boston Universities, where he distinguishedhimself as an Eastman Kodak Scholar. An ardent traveler and a devotedfriend to all dogs, he currently resides in North Stamford, Connecticut, with his husband, the artist Jon Galt.

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