{"product_id":"9780990733539","title":"NVSQVAM (nowhere)","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat's next? Male cervical cancer?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eSomebody said that alienation was a disease of the middle class. Probably Marx, but Lester Reichartsen doesn't have time to look it up. A decade ago, Lester was kicked out of the biggest punk band in Chicago. Since then he's been party to an accidental pregnancy, talked into marrying the other party, and roped into an academic career in Classical Letters, so time won't allow him to be curious about much of anything outside his \"discipline.\" But if whoever said that was right, Lester is middle class for sure. The island of college-town academics he lives on now is almost as alien as the Bible Belt wasteland that surrounds it. So why is it that when some meth heads break into his little family's cramped apartment, the only thing they find of value to steal is his seven-year-old computer? If this is the middle class, then Lester doesn't want to know what lies beneath.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003ePraise...\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf Celine and Hamsun weren't fascists, they'd be Ann Sterzinger. And finally, a book where the footnotes aren't a twee affectation. \u003cb\u003e-Nick Mamatas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDark, tragic, and hilariously funny, Sterzinger's third novel will likely resonate differently with everyone, and should be considered a sound addition to your reading list. \u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eTreason and Treachery\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is an absolutely must-real novel. . . . NVSQVAM succeeds in part because despite being a woman, Sterzinger absolutely nails the hopelessness and listlessness of the average middle-aged American man. It sounds condescending to write that, but being able to write convincing characters of the opposite sex is a tough job for any novelist, and Sterzinger accomplishes it with aplomb. \u003cb\u003e-Matt Forney\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeft satire, intermingling comedy and tragedy in a manner reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh's early works. \u003cb\u003e-Paul Bingham\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf I had a voice in the fawning, compliant corporate media, I'd advise readers everywhere to defenestrate Jonathan Frazen's \u003ci\u003eFreedom\u003c\/i\u003e or whatever other mass-marketed, safe, suburban faux \"edgy\" book they're reading right now, and snap up a copy of \u003ci\u003eNVSQVAM (nowhere)\u003c\/i\u003e instead. Not because I think all of those readers would truly enjoy what this novel has to offer, but because I secretly relish the thought of them hurting their little whitebread minds on this book's razor-sharp edges. \u003cb\u003e-Anonymous\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLester Reichartsen is a self-absorbed, largely useless asshole but he's \u003ci\u003eour\u003c\/i\u003e asshole, my generation's asshole. You can't hobble large segments of a generation and then hold them completely responsible for limping. \u003cb\u003e-Anita Dalton, \u003ci\u003eOdd Things Considered\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI admire aesthetic integrity and appreciate literary talent, and Ann Sterzinger has both of these in spades. -\u003cb\u003eAndy Nowicki\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNVSQVAM (nowhere)\u003c\/i\u003e is a very funny and tragic novel of not just the horror of living in the early 21st century, but of being alive at all. Lester Reichartsen is an excruciatingly human character whose life makes you laugh to keep from crying at how awful and pathetic it is. Between this and The Talkative Corpse, I'm convinced Ann Sterzinger is one of the most underrated writers working today. The attention she receives is far too sparse for someone who can write this well. \u003cb\u003e-Ben Arzate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnn Sterzinger's writing is electric. \u003cb\u003e-Frank Marcopolos\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSome books keep you at arms' length from their characters misery. Ann Sterzinger shoves your nose in it, like you're a misbehaving dog and the book is your mistake. In one sense, it's very funny. In another sense, it's not funny at all. It doesn't matter who you are. If you're made of carbon, SOMETHING in this book will hit too close to home. \u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eEmpty World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNOTE: This new edition of Ann Sterzinger's cult novel \u003ci\u003eNVSQVAM (nowhere)\u003c\/i\u003e has been mildly retuned for your reading pleasure and comes appended with an incisive new aft\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nine-Banded Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49820675408112,"sku":"9780990733539","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780990733539","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}