Stephen Florida

Starred review from March 27, 2017
PW reviews editor Habash’s finely rendered, dark, and funny debut novel follows Steven Forster (known as Stephen Florida, due to an enduring clerical error) as he wrestles for Oregsburg College in Aiken, North Dakota. A senior, it’s his last season to win the championship, a goal on which he’s obsessively staked everything. But his turbulent friendship with a talented younger teammate, his budding romance with an aspiring gallery director, his lingering grief over his parents’ death, a hostile coach, and a possibly homicidal professor all threaten to distract and derail him. He must also face his demons: a lack of direction, a deep intolerance for boredom, a reckless despair that verges into suicidal ideation, and a loneliness so vast it becomes a potent feature of the dramatic landscape. The student-athlete’s world comes alive with crisp, unflinching prose: “Suicide sprints, jump rope, rope climbing, five times, arms only... I brush the vomit out of my teeth and get my backpack.” Habash also balances his protagonist’s most harrowing episodes and questionable behavior with genuine humor. There are riffs on everything from death to jazz to God to liberal arts degrees. A striking, original, and coarsely poetic portrayal of a young man’s athletic and emotional quest. Agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

Narrator Will Damron turns in a mesmerizing performance and, for better or worse, immerses listeners inside the twisted mind of Stephen Florida. Stephen's senior year at a small North Dakota college marks his final chance at a wrestling championship, a goal he pursues with frightening intensity as he also comes to terms with the uncertainties of post-college life. Damron doesn't strain to make Stephen likable; instead he delivers the stream-of-consciousness narrative with such openness that he seems to revel in Stephen's darkness and physicality. This is top-notch narration, even if the bizarre and disjointed story isn't for everyone. A.T.N. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

July 31, 2017
This debut novel by PW deputy reviews editor Habash unfolds mostly in the mind of the title character, a Division IX college wrestler who is entering his senior year at a community college in the fictional town of Aiken, N.Dak. Stephen is an odd, angry young man, an orphan raised by his grandmother, totally obsessed with winning wrestling trophies and with the sexual satisfaction denied him by his wrestling coach’s rules. For the audiobook, voice actor Damron treats the wrestling match descriptions like a professional announcer, adding color to performance and helping listeners stay attuned. He channels Stephen’s anger, anguish, and soul-searching and gives character to Stephen’s few acquaintances, like a college professor who may have murdered his wife, a coach who’s generally off the wall, and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Mary Beth. For the most part, it’s a straightforward listening experience that relies on the strength of Habash’s prose. A Coffee House hardcover.