Description
Book SynopsisRunning down the state like a spine, the river shared its name with the people of the Penobscot Nation, whose ancestral territory included the entire Penobscot watershed—the land upon which the Ames family eventually made their home.
Trade Review“In The Lowering Days Gregory Brown gives us a lush, almost mythic portrait of a very specific place and time that feels all the more universal for its singularity. There’s magic here.” — Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are “The Lowering Days is expansive in its scope and intimate in its details, a lyrical and sincere work by a novelist fully alive to the natural world." — Anthony Marra, New York Times bestselling author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena "The Lowering Days is a masterful debut, a tender and elegant meditation on the thorny bonds of family and community, the enduring trauma of environmental degradations, and the salvific power of stories. At once lyrical and spare, graceful and steely-eyed, Mr. Brown’s prose conjures the work of Louise Erdrich and Jim Harrison. Every word is a gift and a revelation, and a call for reckoning." — Elizabeth Wetmore, author of Valentine "Unflinching, lyrical, and timely, The Lowering Days marks the emergence of a new and authentic voice in American letters. Brown is bona fide, a writer with incredible storytelling chops yes, but also a poet's soul, and a balladeer's heart." — Nickolas Butler, author of Shotgun Lovesongs and Little Faith “An intimate novel about a close-knit community at the mercy of two of the world’s most implacable forces—history and nature. Gregory Brown renders the lives and landscapes of rural Maine with great power and greater compassion.” — Madhuri Vijay, author of The Far Field “Brown stages a natural comparison: Why does each character resort to violence? Are their actions justified? How are they treated in the aftermath? The disparity quickly becomes clear: Molly must go into hiding and live off the land, while David and his family can return home safely each night.” — New York Times "Graceful and compassionate . . . The Lowering Days [is] a flashlight into the heart of a small Maine community perched on the precipice of the Penobscot River, its future and its past." — Boston Globe "Brown writes a fluid, lyrical prose that escorts us deep into the emotional lives of his characters." — Minneapolis Star Tribune "Brown tells a gripping tale. And in his hands the Penobscot region of the 1980s and '90s—with its eccentric cast of Vietnam veterans, hippy fugitives, gruff lobstermen, and Penobscot tribal members—comes wonderfully to life." — Kirkus Reviews "Lyrical and gorgeously written, Brown’s memorable outing does justice to a complicated web of issues." — Publishers Weekly
