Generation Loss (novel)

Last updated
Generation Loss
Generation Loss.jpg
First edition
Author Elizabeth Hand
Cover artistJacob McMurray
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Small Beer Press
Publication date
2007
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages300
ISBN 978-0-156-03134-9

Generation Loss is a 2007 novel by American writer Elizabeth Hand.

Contents

Reception

Generation Loss was generally well received by critics, including a starred review from Booklist [1] and Publishers Weekly . [2]

Booklist's David Pitt called the protagonist "utterly compelling" and noted that the novel is "brilliantly written and completely original." [3]

Describing the novel, Publisher Weekly wrote about how Hand "explores the narrow boundary between artistic genius and madness in this gritty, profoundly unsettling literary thriller." [2] In addition to other praise, they noted that "the novel's final chapters [...] are a terror tour-de-force that testify to the power of great fiction to disturb and provoke." [2]

The Washington Post's Lloyd Rose stated that the novel's "portrayal of gritty suffering is as strong as its fantastical elements". [4]

A few reviewers commented on the writing style and genre conventions. Pitt highlighted how the novel "veers off in a new and exciting direction [from science fiction], drawing on but going well beyond the crime genre." [3] Graham Joyce, writing for The Washington Post , noted, "Generation Loss is a crossover novel, difficult to classify, uncomfortable, spiky. Hand is one of those writers who has challenged the restrictions of genre writing. Here, she both fights with and against the conventions of the thriller genre to get at an evil deeper than its mere perpetrator. [...] So although Generation Loss moves like a thriller, it detonates with greater resound. It's a dark and beautiful novel that should not be read by anyone under the age of 30." [5]

Awards

Generation Loss won the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award. [6] It was also shortlisted for the Believer Book Award. [7]

Related Research Articles

Katherine Neville is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling American author who writes adventure/quest novels. Her novels include The Eight (1988), A Calculated Risk (1992), The Magic Circle (1998) and The Fire (2008), which is a sequel to The Eight.

Brad Parks is an American author of mystery novels and thrillers. He is the winner of the 2010 and 2014 Shamus Award, the 2010 Nero Award and the 2013 and 2014 Lefty Award. He is the only author to have won all three of those awards. He writes both standalone domestic suspense novels and a series featuring investigative reporter Carter Ross, who covers crime for a fictional newspaper The Newark Eagle-Examiner, based in Newark, New Jersey. His novels are known for mixing humor with the gritty realism of their urban setting. Library Journal has called him "a gifted storyteller ."

Ashley Little is a Canadian author of both adult and young adult literature.

<i>The Guest List</i> 2020 novel by Lucy Foley

The Guest List is a 2020 mystery novel by British author Lucy Foley. The story takes place at the wedding of Jules Keegan and Will Slater, which is being held on an island off the coast of Ireland. The plot has been compared to the works of Agatha Christie, as a murder occurs with limited suspects and each guest has a secret which will be revealed.

<i>Pandemic</i> (Sigler novel) 2014 novel by Scott Sigler

Pandemic is a 2014 science fiction biopunk thriller novel by Scott Sigler and the final novel in the Infected trilogy. The book was released in hardback, e-book, and audiobook on January 21, 2014 through Crown Publishing and is set several years after the events in Contagious.

<i>As Brave as You</i> 2016 novel by Jason Reynolds

As Brave As You is a young adult novel written by Jason Reynolds, published May 3, 2016 by Atheneum. The book describes two African-American brothers from Brooklyn who are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather in Virginia.

<i>Nightcrawling</i> 2022 novel by Leila Mottley

Nightcrawling is a 2022 novel by Leila Mottley. Along with other honors, the novel was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, making Mottley the youngest author to have been nominated for the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Foley</span> British novelist

Lucy Foley is a British author of contemporary, historical fiction and mystery novels. Her novels The Paris Apartment and The Guest List are New York Times best sellers.

<i>The Book of Aron</i> 2015 novel by Jim Shepard

The Book of Aron is a historical fiction novel by Jim Shepard, published May 12, 2015 by Knopf Publishing Group.

<i>The Turnout</i> 2021 mystery novel by Megan Abbott

The Turnout is a mystery novel by Megan Abbott published August 3, 2021 by G. P. Putnam's Sons. That year, it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller.

<i>The Final Revival of Opal & Nev</i> 2021 historical fiction novel by Dawnie Walton

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a 2021 historical fiction novel by Dawnie Walton published by 37 Ink. It received the 2022 Virginia Commonwealth University Cabell First Novelist Award, the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize, and was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction.

<i>The Rabbit Hutch</i> 2022 novel by Tess Gunty

The Rabbit Hutch is a 2022 debut novel by writer Tess Gunty and winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction. Gunty won the inaugural Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize for the novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunyi Dean</span> Fantasy fiction author

Sunyi Dean is an author of fantasy fiction.

Brenda Janowitz is an American writer and attorney.

Vanessa Riley is an author of historical fiction, romance fiction, and mystery fiction.

<i>The Catch</i> (novel) 2014 thriller novel by Taylor Stevens

The Catch is a 2014 thriller novel by Taylor Stevens, the fourth book in her Vanessa Michael Munroe series.

<i>Family Lore</i> 2023 fantasy novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

Family Lore is a 2023 fantasy novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. Acevedo's first novel intended for an adult audience, Family Lore has been shortlisted for the 2023 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

<i>The Last Animal</i> 2023 novel by Ramona Ausubel

The Last Animal is a 2023 science fiction novel by Ramona Ausubel. The novel follows a newly-widowed mother and her two teenaged daughters. During a scientific expedition in Siberia, the girls stumble upon a perfectly-preserved baby wooly mammoth, and the family must choose how to move forward with this scientific discovery.

<i>American Exorcism</i> 2001 non-fiction book by Michael Cuneo

American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of the Plenty is a 2001 book written by Michael Cuneo and published originally by Doubleday. It follows the experience of Cuneo while he toured the United States of America and witnessed over 50 exorcisms.

<i>Acrobat</i> (novel) 2003 novel by Gonzalo Lira

Acrobat is a spy thriller written by Gonzalo Lira. The film rights were sold to Miramax; Lira was reported to have received $650,000 for the sale, with filmmakers Sidney Pollack and Anthony Minghella to produce.

References

  1. Pitt, David (2007-05-01). "Generation Loss". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  2. 1 2 3 "Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand". Publishers Weekly . 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  3. 1 2 Pitt, David (2007-05-01). "Generation Loss". Booklist . Archived from the original on 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. Rose, Lloyd (2010-06-09). "Elizabeth Hand's 'Illyria,' about a pair of young, theatrical lovers". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. Joyce, Graham (2007-05-06). "Road to Ruin". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  6. Hand, Elizabeth (2008-08-10). "Love Bites". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 2017-12-20. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  7. "The Believer Book Award 2007 finalists". The Believer. March–April 2008. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2014.