The Left and The Lucky

'Brimming with compassion . . . the sort of novel you press into the hands of those you love' COLIN WALSH 'Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature' ANN PATCHETT 'Gut-wrenching and compassionate, with shades of John Steinbeck' HARLAN COBEN The moving, large-hearted story of a young boy in danger of slipping through society's cracks and the unlikely father figure who takes him under his wing. 'And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won't get so panicky if you can remember that.' Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid - with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother - is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help. Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Luck y is a portrait of this unusual friendship - the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together. Readers adored The Left and the Lucky: ' 'I couldn't put this book down once I realised the story it was telling. There is something about how Vlautin voices these characters that force you to read "just one more page"' 'A compelling and at times heartbreaking read. I loved it!' 'His writing here will touch something in your heart or your memory, too, because it's so incredibly REAL!!' 'I officially will read anything this man writes'

'Brimming with compassion . . . the sort of novel you press into the hands of those you love' COLIN WALSH 'Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature' ANN PATCHETT 'Gut-wrenching and compassionate, with shades of John Steinbeck' HARLAN COBEN The moving, large-hearted story of a young boy in danger of slipping through society's cracks and the unlikely father figure who takes him under his wing. 'And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won't get so panicky if you can remember that.' Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid - with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother - is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help. Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Luck y is a portrait of this unusual friendship - the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together. Readers adored The Left and the Lucky: ' 'I couldn't put this book down once I realised the story it was telling. There is something about how Vlautin voices these characters that force you to read "just one more page"' 'A compelling and at times heartbreaking read. I loved it!' 'His writing here will touch something in your heart or your memory, too, because it's so incredibly REAL!!' 'I officially will read anything this man writes'

'Brimming with compassion . . . the sort of novel you press into the hands of those you love' COLIN WALSH 'Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature' ANN PATCHETT 'Gut-wrenching and compassionate, with shades of John Steinbeck' HARLAN COBEN The moving, large-hearted story of a young boy in danger of slipping through society's cracks and the unlikely father figure who takes him under his wing. 'And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won't get so panicky if you can remember that.' Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid - with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother - is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help. Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Luck y is a portrait of this unusual friendship - the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together. Readers adored The Left and the Lucky: ' 'I couldn't put this book down once I realised the story it was telling. There is something about how Vlautin voices these characters that force you to read "just one more page"' 'A compelling and at times heartbreaking read. I loved it!' 'His writing here will touch something in your heart or your memory, too, because it's so incredibly REAL!!' 'I officially will read anything this man writes'

'Brimming with compassion . . . the sort of novel you press into the hands of those you love' COLIN WALSH 'Vlautin writes about people overlooked by society and overlooked by literature' ANN PATCHETT 'Gut-wrenching and compassionate, with shades of John Steinbeck' HARLAN COBEN The moving, large-hearted story of a young boy in danger of slipping through society's cracks and the unlikely father figure who takes him under his wing. 'And try to breathe, man. You gotta remember to breathe. You won't get so panicky if you can remember that.' Eddie Wilkens runs his own house-painting business. Forty-something and living alone, he just wants to take life one day at a time. When his eight-year-old neighbour, Russell, starts hanging around, Eddie sees that this small kid - with his single mother working nights and his violent older brother - is struggling to keep his head above water, and so tries to help. Equal parts heart wrenching and uplifting, The Left and the Luck y is a portrait of this unusual friendship - the ways hurt shatters people and the compassionate acts that can, maybe, hold some of those pieces together. Readers adored The Left and the Lucky: ' 'I couldn't put this book down once I realised the story it was telling. There is something about how Vlautin voices these characters that force you to read "just one more page"' 'A compelling and at times heartbreaking read. I loved it!' 'His writing here will touch something in your heart or your memory, too, because it's so incredibly REAL!!' 'I officially will read anything this man writes'

"One of America's greatest storytellers."--Jonathan Evison The acclaimed Willy Vlautin returns with a heartbreaking and tender novel about two young brothers, the vicissitudes of fate, and unexpected connection--a beautiful and bittersweet portrait that illuminates the power of friendship and how it can save lives in multiple ways. Eddie Wilkens is a workaholic house painter in his early forties. His wife has left him to her regret, and his main employee, Houston, is a loafer and scoundrel who barely shows up for work. Unassuming and self-reliant, Eddie is thoughtful man who rarely gets angry, despite life's frequent provocations, but he is ruled by a guilt that he has carried for nearly twenty years. Next door, a woman and her two sons move in with her frail and aging mother. The youngest boy, Russell, eight-years-old, is quiet and small for his age and lives in constant terror of his increasingly lost and troubled fifteen-year-old brother, Curtis. As their mother struggles to keep the family together and the grandmother's health begins to faulter they find themselves unable to protect Russell and themselves from Curtis's cruelty, which threatens to explode in frenetic violence. Though neither knows it, Russell and Eddie will become each other's saving grace. While Russell's home life disintegrates he begins waiting in Eddie's backyard for him to get off work. Eddie offers the boy small acts of kindness: he feeds him, gives him jobs to do, listens to his dreams of escape, and offers Russell a glimpse into a world of hope and humor. A world of misfit painters, a derelict muscle car, an old dog, and the comradery and companionship of Eddie and his crew. In return, Russell gives Eddie a reason to carry on and helps him lay to rest the guilt that has plagued him for half of his life. Together, this makeshift father and son begin to build better life, daring to trade the bleakness and cynicism around them for hope and friendship. From a writer revered for his thoughtful and compassionate portrayal of realistic American life, The Left and the Lucky is a heartbreakingly honest examination of how circumstance shapes our lives, and how the luck of finding someone who needs us can transcend bitter loneliness and prevent us from giving up on dreaming of a better life.

"One of America's greatest storytellers."--Jonathan Evison The acclaimed Willy Vlautin returns with a heartbreaking and tender novel about two young brothers, the vicissitudes of fate, and unexpected connection--a beautiful and bittersweet portrait that illuminates the power of friendship and how it can save lives in multiple ways. Eddie Wilkens is a workaholic house painter in his early forties. His wife has left him to her regret, and his main employee, Houston, is a loafer and scoundrel who barely shows up for work. Unassuming and self-reliant, Eddie is thoughtful man who rarely gets angry, despite life's frequent provocations, but he is ruled by a guilt that he has carried for nearly twenty years. Next door, a woman and her two sons move in with her frail and aging mother. The youngest boy, Russell, eight-years-old, is quiet and small for his age and lives in constant terror of his increasingly lost and troubled fifteen-year-old brother, Curtis. As their mother struggles to keep the family together and the grandmother's health begins to faulter they find themselves unable to protect Russell and themselves from Curtis's cruelty, which threatens to explode in frenetic violence. Though neither knows it, Russell and Eddie will become each other's saving grace. While Russell's home life disintegrates he begins waiting in Eddie's backyard for him to get off work. Eddie offers the boy small acts of kindness: he feeds him, gives him jobs to do, listens to his dreams of escape, and offers Russell a glimpse into a world of hope and humor. A world of misfit painters, a derelict muscle car, an old dog, and the comradery and companionship of Eddie and his crew. In return, Russell gives Eddie a reason to carry on and helps him lay to rest the guilt that has plagued him for half of his life. Together, this makeshift father and son begin to build better life, daring to trade the bleakness and cynicism around them for hope and friendship. From a writer revered for his thoughtful and compassionate portrayal of realistic American life, The Left and the Lucky is a heartbreakingly honest examination of how circumstance shapes our lives, and how the luck of finding someone who needs us can transcend bitter loneliness and prevent us from giving up on dreaming of a better life.