Revolution rocks and rolls. An ex-tv star seizes power and tries
to turn daily life into an endless film. Temporary People is
a political fable of the first order. Set on the island of Bamerita,
a country whose “history is like the rim of a wheel made
to turn round and round, our political cycles nothing if not
redundant,” Gillis third novel, following Walter Falls
and The Weight of Nothing, Temporary People explores the human
condition in all its most vulnerable exposures. A brilliant
send up of modern life turned inside out by the inescapable
powers of history and fate, filled with pathos and humor, Gillis
deftly explores the complexities of survival and choice in a
world perpetually on the verge of going mad. Sharp and satirical,
a breathtakingly paced romp, the end will leave you drop-jawed
and wanting more. Temporary People is a book for the ages and
once again Gillis delivers.
“Minimalist-cum-fabulist Steven Gillis synthesizes nearly
every Twentieth Century calamity—from World War II to
the Balkans to Desert Storm—into this fable of the oppressed
country Bamerita, which drifts about the seas unhinged from
any continent. His idealistic and erudite hero finds his peaceful
revolution thwarted and contemplates the holes in Gandhi’s
many aphorisms while his people are mutilated in grand spectacle
on film. Temporary People is a vicious and compelling storyboard
for our time.”
—Jeff Parker, author of Ovenman
“As thoroughly dark and thoroughly humane as Vonnegut's apocalyptic novels
like Cat's Cradle and Galapagos, Temporary People is a suspenseful tale about
history, hope, oppression, and modes of resistance. Gillis's world is richly
imagined, his voice is clear, and his plot is intricate, as is his moral. In
fact, this novel seems much more interested in probing and dramatizing the deep
philosophical paradoxes of revolutionary thought than in providing any pat answer.
Here's a fable for our time, and for just about any other time you can imagine.”
—Chris Bachelder, author of Bear v. Shark and U.S.!
"Steven Gillis writes as if his life depended on it. His
imagination creates a complete world: Dickens without
the furniture. This great bustling book seems to embody
all he knows and can intuit of the world. As common as
the morning paper, as rare as piano music, Gillis’ talent
is Transcendent." —Ben
Cheever, author of The Good Nanny
“Balancing world-building, a thriller-worthy plot, and high-end
political dialogue, Temporary People is the kind of book
that forces the reader to fight between turning the pages faster
to find out what happens and slowing down to consider its arguments
and to savor its sentences.”
—Newpages.com
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Steven
Gillis is the author of the novels Walter
Falls and The
Weight of Nothing, and the story collection Giraffes.
A member of the Ann Arbor Book Festival Board of Directors,
and a finalist for the 2007 Ann Arbor News Citizen of
the Year, Steve teaches writing at Eastern Michigan University,
is the founder of 826 Michigan and the co-founder of Dzanc
Books in partnership with Dan Wickett. Steve lives in
Ann Arbor with his wife Mary, and children Anna and Zach.
All proceeds from Steve's writing goes to Dzanc. |
