โSo good, so fully realized. . . . A book about how easily our lives are wrecked, but also how powerfully weโre able to survive and rebuild.โ โNathan Hill, The New York Times Book Review
A blistering dark comedy, Rafael Frumkinโs The Comedown is a romp across America, from the Kent State shootings to protest marches in Chicago to the Florida Everglades, that explores delineating lines of race, class, religion, and time.
Scrappy, street smart drug dealer Reggie Marshall has never liked the simpering addict Leland Bloom-Mittwoch, which doesnโt stop Leland from looking up to Reggie with puppy-esque devotion. But when a drug deal goes dramatically, tragically wrong and a suitcase (which may or may not contain a quarter of a million dollars) disappears, the two men and their families become hopelessly entangled. Itโs a mistake that sets in motion a series of events that are odd, captivating, suspenseful, and ultimately inevitable.
Both incendiary and earnest, The Comedown steadfastly catalogs the tangled messes the characters make of their lives, never losing sight of the beauty and power of each family memberโs capacity for love, be it for money, drugs, or each other.
โA resounding success.โ โThe L.A. Review of Books
โAmbitious, exhilarating . . . so compelling that, even when the novel concludes, the reader is left wondering where their lives took them.โ โThe Columbus Dispatch
โAn engrossing read. . . . Frumkin is whip-smart and funny.โ โThe Millions
โFrumkinโs debut may find itself sharing shelf space with Franzen and Chabon.โ โFull Stop
โFrumkin has talent to burn.โ โKirkus Reviews, starred review
โVivid and compassionately drawn characters.โ โLibrary Journal (starred)
โFunny, heartbreaking. . . . Frumkinโs intelligence and empathy radiates off every page.โ โCarmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties