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The Locals
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
12 posts | 9 read | 10 to read
A rural working-class New England town electsas its mayor a New York hedge fund millionaire, in this inspired novel for our timesfiction in the tradition of Jonathan Franzen and Jennifer Egan, with the urgency of Hillbilly Elegy. Mark Firth is a contractor and home restorer in Howland, Massachusetts, who feels opportunity passing his family by. After being swindled by a financial advisor, what future can Mark promise his wife, Karen, and their young daughter, Haley? He finds himself envying the wealthy weekenders in his community whose houses sit empty all winter. Philip Hadi used to be one of these people. But in the nervous days after 9/11 he flees New York and hires Mark to turn his Howland home into a year-round secure location from which he can manage billions of dollars of other peoples money. The collision of these two mens very different worldsrural vs. urban, middle class vs. wealthyis the engine of Jonathan Dees powerful new novel. Inspired by Hadi, Mark looks around for a surefire investment: the mid-decade housing boom. Over Karens objections, and teaming up with his troubled brother, Gerry, Mark starts buying up local property with cheap debt. Then the towns first selectman dies suddenly, and Hadi volunteers for office. He soon begins subtly transforming Howland in his imagewith unexpected results for Mark and his extended family. Here are the dramas of twenty-first-century Americarising inequality, working class decline, a new authoritarianismplayed out in the classic setting of some of our greatest novels: the small town. The Locals is that rare work of fiction capable of capturing a fraught American moment in real time. Advance praise for The Locals There could not be a more timely novel than The Locals. It examines the American self and American selfishness from 9/11 until today. Jonathan Dee has given us a master class in empathy and compassion, a vital book.Nathan Hill, author of The Nix Jonathan Dees manner is so forthright, his approach so quietly intelligent and direct, his small-town America with its dreams and ambitions and sense of order and rectitude so familiar, we realize we have acknowledged nothing particularly alarming about our weakening grasp on a functioning democracy. Hiding in plain sight is the blueprint of our declineour easy corruptibility and willed ignorance, our ethical wobbliness and eagerness to sanitize history. The Locals is an absolutely riveting novel that dares to prod us awake. Whoever has ears let them hearindeed.Joy Williams, author of The Visiting Privilege
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LitsyEvents
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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Repost for @maich

LOCAL AUTHOR READING CHALLENGE

Read every month one book written by local author. You can plan your TBR immediately as I did or you decide every month what you'll read. Whatever suits you better. Tag me and use #readingwithmaja
Happy reading everyone!!

31 likes1 comment
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MrBook
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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#TBRtemptation post 1! Mark Firth is a contractor/home restorer in Howland, Massachusetts, who's been significantly swindled by a financial advisor. Wealthy New York advisor Philip asks him to upgrade Mark's house so that Philip can manage his clients' billions of dollars from Howland. Which gets Mark thinking. Over his wife's objections, he buys land, becomes selectman, and starts to transform Howland. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

64 likes1 stack add
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CarolynM
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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#5in2018
Thanks for the tag @Cathythoughts

1. White Houses by Amy Bloom (love her work)
2. Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen (love a hockey romance, especially ones written by Sarina)
3. Beartown by Fredrik Backman (can't seem to get this here except as audio, may have to import it)
4. Boys Will Be Boys by Clementine Ford (interesting young Australian feminist)
5. The Locals by Jonathan Dee (again, love his work)

I tag @shenanigans

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review
Misanthropester
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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Panpan

Rather meandering & at far too many moments excruciatingly dull

AmyG I read this and yes, at times it just dragged. 7y
Misanthropester I also just found the story...trivial @AmyG 7y
14 likes2 comments
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Victoriahoperose
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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Mehso-so

The writing is really very good in this book and it is really an interesting character study. I️ just felt like it was too long and I️ didn‘t understand why some parts were necessary or relevant. The ending was super abrupt also and I️ wanted more to come together. It‘s not terrible but it is a bit tough to get through. #goodreadsgiveaways

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Jana
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
Pickpick

This was more of a character study and analysis of a town in the wake of 9/11 and through the recession rather than a novel with a tightly woven plot. Similar to Did You Ever Have A Family, it was sad and beautifully written, and there was a distinct story and progression, but you kept reading because you wanted to learn about the characters. It‘s a slow paced book and the end was not the payoff I‘d hoped for but the journey there was great.

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MrBook
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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#TBRtemptation post 1! Just released. Praised by George Saunders as prescient for our time. Mark's a contractor and home restorer in small-town Massachusetts. After being swindled, he envies the wealthier in his community. After doing work for a wealthy money manager, he starts buying up properties and becomes a selectman & begins molding the town to his own image. Inequality, classes, authoritarianism, & other themes. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

58 likes3 stack adds
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TheJOMOreader
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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Oh Jesus. Here I go again on another 33%-er.

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Mamashep
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee

Have any of you read this one? I'm about 50 pages in and I'm not living it. Doesn't seem to be what I thought it was going to be. Trying to decide if I should keep going. #tobailornottobail

BkClubCare Bail!! 7y
Mamashep @BkClubCare that's what I was thinking. When you're 50 pages in to a 240 page book and you're still not even in the town this is supposedly set in, it sure doesn't feel like the book I thought I was reading. 7y
BkClubCare See my latest bail. I was like 4% in. 7y
BkClubCare We need to trust ourselves. We can always change our minds. Now is precious! 7y
9 likes5 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
The Locals: A Novel | Jonathan Dee
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Bailedbailed

This book gave great blurb and got some solid early reviews. But, the novel started with a stream of consciousness rambling by a narrator who was sort of a tool. I just could not get into it. #netgalley

Mamashep Wow. Wish I hadn't requested this one! 7y
batsy Your graphics 😂 7y
Flaneurette I literally just finished reading an excerpt of this in Tin House and had similar thoughts. It does seem well written but I'm kind of tired of know it all white guy authors ala Franzen 7y
95 likes3 comments