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Brand New Human Being [Hardcover]

Emily Jeanne Miller

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Book Description

Jun 12 2012
“A fast-paced, first-rate book by an immensely talented new writer.” —Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Prep

Stay-at-home dad Logan Pyle is holding his life together by a thread: his larger-than-life father, Gus, has just died, his wife is distant, and his kindergarten-age son has regressed to drinking from a baby bottle and sucking his thumb. Complicating matters further is Bennie, Gus’s beautiful young widow, with whom Logan has a troubled past. When the thread finally snaps, Logan’s actions threaten to tear the family he treasures apart. Carried by Logan’s wry, original voice, this moving debut follows one man’s journey from child to parent.

“Compelling . . . The strength of Brand New Human Being is its realistic portrayal of trauma and its aftermath.” —Washington Post

“Introspective and honest . . . Miller’s novel is sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but always a worthy, exciting read.” —Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men Are Gone

“I devoured this novel. Miller’s debut is funny, fast-paced and poignant, and it depicts a father-son relationship unlike any I’ve read before.” —Jim Gavin, author of Middle Men

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Mariner Books; None edition (Jun 12 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0547734360
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547734361
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Shipping Weight: 386 g
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #614,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Review

"A fast-paced tale of family life." 
-- Real Simple

"What a treat to read Miller's whip-smart first novel. Brand New Human Being gripped me with its wry humor and wonderfully real characters, and kept me captivated until the last page. This is a fast-paced, first-rate book by an immensely talented new writer."
--Curtis Sittenfeld

Miller's debut novel tackles the meaning of parenthood in the modern world. Introspective and honest, it focuses on the small dramas inside Everyman's living room: the way all parents strive to be better than they are, the way a marriage can start to fray even with the best intentions, and the way love, however elusive, is always worth fighting for. Miller’s novel is sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but always a worthy, exciting read.”
--Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men are Gone

"The strength of BRAND NEW HUMAN BEING is its realistic portrayal of trauma and its aftermath. Death, birth, disease and survival all have their messy consequences in these pages. Miller...is especially good at showing the sloppy nature of relationships in the wake of upheaval."
--Washington Post

"Touching...Miller explores Logan’s resentments and insecurities with sensitivity and nuance."
--Publishers Weekly

"Miller is at her best in scenes with Logan and Owen together—dad’s brutal honesty with his son about death in general (and Owen’s near-death experience in particular) exposes the depths of his emotional frustration...the first-person-present narration gives the novel a breezy energy.  A solid debut..."
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

EMILY JEANNE MILLER studied religion at Princeton University and worked as a journalist for several newspapers before entering the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana. In 2002 she completed an MFA from the University of Florida.

Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.1 out of 5 stars  38 reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A heartbreaking AND hopeful read Jun 12 2012
By Anne E. Garofalo - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Brand New Human Being is one of those books that sticks in your mind. The characters are rich, real, flawed, and sometimes quite funny. I found myself loving, hating, and relating to ALL of the them at one point or another throughout the book. The author has done an amazing job of capturing the complexities of marriage and family relationships, and she gives a hopeful but incredibly realistic resolution. This really is a must-read. Can't wait to see what's next from Emily Jeanne Miller.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Promising Beginning May 14 2012
By Alan L. Chase - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
Emily Jeanne Miller's first novel is a richly textured and complex story of a troubled marriage within a convoluted extended family. Logan Pyle and his wife, Julie, are struggling with balancing his failing family business, her burgeoning legal career, their emotionally regressed four-year-old son and a growing chasm of distance in their marriage.

What I loved most about this book is the author's finely tuned sense of the kinds of conversations and small gestures and non-verbal signals that make up any relationship - especially one that is struggling to stay alive. The narrative is even-handed, in that I sometimes found myself siding with Julie and at other times taking Logan's side.

Logan's Dad, Gus, recently deceased, hovers over the family, and his widow, Logan's step-mother, Bennie, who is too close to his own age for comfort, plays an important and ambivalent role in the family constellation.

There are no easy answers or facile solutions offered as the threads of the story come together. The reader comes to feel that Logan and Julie will continue to struggle after their separation and tentative reunion. Yet there is a reasonable expectation of hope that everything will turn out - not perfectly - but alright.

Enjoy.

Al
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Brand New Human Being July 30 2012
By Rachel McElhany - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I think that Brand New Human Being was a well-written book with well-drawn characters that had depth. However, all of the characters, especially Julie and Logan, were so deeply flawed that I didn't like any of them and spent most of the book wanted to reach in and shake them. I think it's speaks well of the author when she can cause such a strong reaction in a reader. But when I read a book with those kinds of characters, there needs to be at least one likeable character to balance things out.

I also thought that some things wrapped up a little too neatly in the end, while other things that I was wondering about through the whole book never did. For instance, why was Julie losing weight and not eating - was she sick, anorexic, or what?

This book wasn't my cup of tea necessarily. However, there are plenty of glowing reviews for it out in the blogosphere so clearly it does have appeal to some.

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