Losing Graceland

October 4, 2010
In his fair-to-middling sophomore effort, Nathan (Gods of Aberdeen) resurrects Elvis Presley—or a bloated old man named John Barrow who wants to be the king—and follows him from his suburban Buffalo, N.Y., hideout to Memphis, Tenn., where he hopes to find and liberate his estranged, illegitimate granddaughter, Nadine Emma Brown, recently reported as missing. Though the quick narrative slips into "the old man's" point of view at irregular intervals, most of the narrative is channeled through the perceptions of Ben Fish, the 21-year-old anthropology major Elvis hires to drive him cross-country. Ben is reeling from the death of his father and the loss of his "hot" girlfriend, and goes along for the promised $10,000, which will fund his dream of moving to Amsterdam. The duo's adventures—brawling with the biker gang Hell's Foster Children, competing in Elvis impersonator contests, visiting hillbilly oracles—are entertaining, but it's the old man's battle with his ailing body, pain pill addiction, and legacy that will leave readers wishing for more from a novel that travels too much through the light terrain of Ben's insubstantial struggles with growing up.

November 1, 2010

Nathan's second novel (after Gods of Aberdeen) narrates the quixotic adventures of Ben Fish and an old man who may be the living Elvis Presley. Ben, an unemployable college graduate, is grieving the loss of his father to a tragic accident and his girlfriend to another man. For $10,000 he agrees to drive the old man to reconnect with his long-lost granddaughter in Memphis. The novel is episodic, veering between adventures--Ben and the old man encounter bikers as well as a charming hooker and her pimp--and conversations, some philosophical, some personal histories, and the usual everyday chatter. The old man's charisma attracts attention at every stop along the way. While processing his grief, Ben has undreamed-of experiences on this strange journey. VERDICT A quick read with quirky characters and homespun wisdom, this will appeal to fans of literary coming-of-age stories. Nathan is the 2010 recipient of Boston University's Saul Bellow Prize in Fiction.--Cheryl L. Conway, Univ. of Arkansas Lib., Fayetteville

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2010
Ben Fish has recently graduated with a degree in anthropology, undying love for his high-school-aged ex-girlfriend Jess, who broke up with him six months ago, and no plans for how to spend his summer. To avoid another season working a dead-end job at the local mall, he responds to a newspaper ad from one John Barrow, who is looking for a driver on short notice. John hires Ben to drive him to Memphis, 900 miles away, in search of his granddaughter Nadine. Their trip quickly turns into a capriciously epic journey as John, who claims to be, and for all purposes seems to actually be, Elvis Presley, takes them on detours to fight with biker gangs, visit an oracle, and save a hooker named Ginger from her one-eyed pimp. Nathan presents the reader with several fantastic characters in this rollicking, adventurous tale. Readers will pore through this fast-paced, adrenaline-filled novel and eat up the fantastic dialogue that brings Elvis back to life in a new, deliciously lascivious way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)