Overview

An Irish painting contractor in a changing neighborhood struggles with the complications of befriending a Black worker. The edgy enclave he fled haunts a South Side exile, upending his life. A boy who helps his father fake accidents for insurance claims reaches a turning point. A woman from a rough patch of South Shore remembers her first girlfriend. And a Census taker learns empathy as she counts people. Their lives weave through colorful, gritty streets in The Plan of Chicago, Barry Pearce's absorbing debut of heartbreaking division, unexpected intersections, and dim but possible dreams.

Full Product Details

9781968148119

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Pearce renders contemporary Chicago in loving and brutal complexity from a myriad of vivid voices. And in his own stylish manner, Pearce pulls off, again and again, dazzling plotlines that deeply satisfy. I loved reading this book."" -Antonya Nelson, author of Bound and Funny Once, winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story ""The power of Pearce's book rises from the foundational sense of Chicago as city of neighborhoods. Neighborhood is the great urban theme that elevates the work of writers like Algren, Brooks, Bellow, Terkel, Cisneros, and Kotlowitz . . . a lineage to which this book belongs."" -Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago and Paper Lantern: Love Stories ""Beautifully crafted and carefully written, and while the book is utterly unsentimental, a deep love of place bleeds through the prose."" -Robert Boswell, author of Tumbledown ""A glorious, living map by a master storyteller."" -Alex Shakar, author of Luminarium ""Pearce captures his characters'  resolute spirits while summoning the soul of their city."" -Bayo Ojikutu, author of 47th Street Black ""Captures the tender, often tumultuous journey of growing up and growing wise."" -Achy Obejas, author of Days of Awe

""Voices from all over the map of the city's neighborhoods combine for a chorus that is singularly Chicago's. With deep empathy and granular detail, these stories take the measure of a city on the make."" -Kirkus Reviews, starred review ""Pearce illuminates the soul of Chicago and the perplexities of human nature with exquisite sensitivity, authenticity, and artistry."" -Booklist, starred review ""Trenchant . . . an accomplished and assured first outing."" -Publishers Weekly ""Wonderful . . . a love letter to a recognizable Chicago."" -Chicago Tribune ""The modern day Algren . . . direct and empathetic."" -Chicago Magazine ""Compelling and haunting . . . like Algren, Brooks, Bellow, Terkel, Cisneros, and Kotlowitz."" -Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago ""Pearce renders contemporary Chicago in loving and brutal complexity."" -Antonya Nelson, author of Funny Once ""Beautifully crafted and carefully written, and while the book is utterly unsentimental, a deep love of place bleeds through the prose."" -Robert Boswell, author of Tumbledown ""A glorious, living map by a master storyteller."" -Alex Shakar, author of Luminarium ""Pearce captures his characters' resolute spirits while summoning the soul of their city."" -Bayo Ojikutu, author of 47th Street Black ""A tapestry . . . moments of crisis revealing the raw, unfiltered truths of who we are."" -Achy Obejas, author of Days of Awe

""Voices from all over the map of the city's neighborhoods combine for a chorus that is singularly Chicago's. With deep empathy and granular detail, these stories take the measure of a city on the make."" -Kirkus Reviews, starred review ""Pearce renders contemporary Chicago in loving and brutal complexity from a myriad of vivid voices. And in his own stylish manner, Pearce pulls off, again and again, dazzling plotlines that deeply satisfy. I loved reading this book."" -Antonya Nelson, author of Bound and Funny Once, winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story ""The power of Pearce's book rises from the foundational sense of Chicago as city of neighborhoods. Neighborhood is the great urban theme that elevates the work of writers like Algren, Brooks, Bellow, Terkel, Cisneros, and Kotlowitz . . . a lineage to which this book belongs."" -Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago and Paper Lantern: Love Stories ""Beautifully crafted and carefully written, and while the book is utterly unsentimental, a deep love of place bleeds through the prose."" -Robert Boswell, author of Tumbledown ""A glorious, living map by a master storyteller."" -Alex Shakar, author of Luminarium ""Pearce captures his characters' resolute spirits while summoning the soul of their city."" -Bayo Ojikutu, author of 47th Street Black ""Captures the tender, often tumultuous journey of growing up and growing wise."" -Achy Obejas, author of Days of Awe

Author Information

Barry Pearce won the Nelson Algren Award for fiction in 2019. His stories have been published in Colorado Review, Cimarron Review, Cagibi, the Chicago Tribune, and elsewhere. He lives in Chicago.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available