A Lite Too Bright

April 2, 2018
After his ex-girlfriend takes out a restraining order against him and he loses his college scholarship, 18-year-old Arthur Louis Pullman III’s world implodes. He goes to live with his aunt and uncle, where he uncovers the journal of his late grandfather and namesake. Arthur’s grandfather was a famed author who was plagued by Alzheimer’s. His mysterious death seems to link back to the years before he wrote an American classic and disappeared from public view (á la J.D. Salinger). Following the clues he perceives within his grandfather’s writings, and attempting to relive the first Arthur Louis Pullman’s final days, Arthur boards a train for a cross-country odyssey. Miller’s debut novel weaves together several other larger-than-life literary figures and events, including gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, the beat generation, and the Kent State shootings, creating a love letter to social justice and American literature. The story integrates sections from Arthur’s grandfather’s piercing, at times bewildering, poems, which come to mirror young Arthur’s own tortuous search for balance, meaning, and personal redemption amid chaos. This complex and turbulent novel sees a troubled teenager slowly regain a sense of purpose by forging a connection with the past. Ages 13–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media.

Narrator Michael Chamberlain takes listeners into the story of a college-age teen who is in quest of answers to his grandfather's mysterious death. Arthur Louis Pullman III's grandfather died five years earlier after years of suffering from Alzheimer's. Uncovering a note he believes to be a clue, Arthur embarks on a road trip to find out what his grandfather did during the last week of his life. Chamberlain delivers this charming debut novel at a steady pace. He projects Arthur's uncertainty about his venture and fear for his life as he goes from one town to the next, following clues that lead him to uncover the secrets of his grandfather's dark past. Chamberlain's rich voice creates suspense and mystery in this coming-of-age listen. A.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Starred review from April 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Arthur Louis Pullman wrote one novel that became a classic. He never wrote again and shied away from the limelight. Living with Alzheimer's, Pullman mysteriously disappears before his passing. His grandson, Arthur Louis Pullman III has a troubled past and is feeling lost himself. While struggling with his own issues, he transfers his attention and desires to discover the last days of his grandfather's life. While visiting relatives, Arthur uncovers a note from his grandfather and believes it is a clue. Determined to solve the mystery, Arthur sets off on a cross-country road trip. On the journey, he becomes close to Mara, a runaway, and together they gain insight to his grandfather's past and helps him come to terms with his own issues. Charmingly written, this debut novel introduces rounded characters and an engaging mystery. The plot does well to keep intrigue high while the core theme surrounding the family dynamics is ingrained. Wonderfully mirroring the disjointed feelings and thoughts of young Arthur and those who have dementia, this literary piece has a satisfying conclusion. VERDICT A highly recommended purchase for fans of literary and realistic fiction centered around family.-Melissa Poole, Clemson University Library, Anderson, SC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2018
A boy with a muddled past embarks on a cross-country journey to uncover the mystery behind the last week of his famous grandfather's life.Arthur Louis Pullman the Third is the grandson of Arthur Louis Pullman, a Beat-generation writer renowned for producing a singular work of literary genius before withdrawing from the outside world and losing himself in a fog of dementia. Five years earlier, Pullman mysteriously disappeared from his son's cabin in California only to wind up dead a week later in Ohio, his whereabouts during the intervening period unknown. Reeling from his own present-day trauma, grandson Arthur discovers a clue to his grandfather's travels and sets off by train to follow it, hoping to learn more about his famous forebear's life and death. Jumping from clue to clue and train to train across the country, Arthur stumbles upon extraordinary discoveries, from long-lost family members to secret societies, and, ultimately, the truth not only about his grandfather, but himself as well. He is helped along the way by an enigmatic British-Indian girl named Mara who has motives of her own and strains against being pigeonholed as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. The Pullman family is white.This fresh incarnation of the great American road trip novel is bursting with big ideas, enigmas, poetry, and flashes of humor. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-adult)

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Starred review from February 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Eighteen-year-old Arthur Louis Pullman III is on an epic quest toward understanding the great enigma of his Alzheimer-addled grandfather's lifeand mysterious, solitary death. The grandfather, Arthur Louis Pullman I, was the author of a single novel, A World Away, which has become a modern classic with a passionately devoted readership. However, with the publication of that novel, the grandfather apparently never wrote another word. When Arthur discovers a clue he believes his grandfather left for him, he begins a trip that will take him across America, from California to Ohio, turning up more clues as he goes. Along the way, he meets Mara, an Indian British girl, who will become his companion, introducing him to a group of revolutionaries devoted to the grandfather's work, which has given them a Great Purpose. Meanwhile, Arthur (the younger one) has secrets of his own that remain tantalizingly unanswered. Yes, all will be revealed in time, but what a compelling journey this is toward the bright light of revelationand what an accomplished debut this is, too. Beautifully conceived and executed, it has an irresistible premise; an ingenious plot tinged with mystery; compelling, multidimensional characters; and a haunting ethos that will linger in readers' minds long after they have finished.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)