About the Book
The
daily rhythm of a veterinarian’s family in rural New England is
shaken when a hunting accident leaves their eldest son in a coma. With
the lives of his loved ones unhinged, the veterinarian struggles to
maintain stability while searching for the man responsible. But in the
midst of their great trial an unexpected visitor arrives, requesting
a favor that will have profound consequences—testing a loving
father’s patience, humor, and resolve and forcing husband and
wife to come to terms with what “family” truly means.
Reviews for THE CALL
"A triumph of quiet humor and understated beauty. ... Murphy's
subtle, wry wit and an appealing sense for the surreal leaven moments
of anger and bleakness, and elevate moments of kindness, whimsy, and
grace."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This is a wonderful novel. Original, suspenseful, funny, and
profoundly moving. It's about family, community, the human bond with
animals, and--oh yeah--spaceships. I am in awe of Yannick Murphy's achievement
and I plan to recommend to everyone I know."
-- Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Caleb's Crossing
"Yannick Murphy's beautiful new novel is a stirring example of
what a real writer,can do with form and feeling. The Call is sly, funny,
scary, honest, wonderstruck and, most of all, intensely generous."
-- Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask
"This book delights with its discrete structuring. ... The pieces
snap together in odd juxtaposition, surprising, making a picture more
sturdy and dependable than the seamless whole. It has the power of good
old Byzantine mosaic."
-- Padgett Powell, author of The Interrogative Mood
"Yannick Murphy's The Call, about a family dealing with the consequences
of a tragic accident, explores marriage, parenthood, small-town life,
medicine, and hope with a sensitivity, skill, and fearlessness that
will rattle your bones."
-- Ben Greenman, author of Celebrity Chekhov and What He's Poised to
Do
"The Call is an enormously affecting and lovely exploration of
ordinary and extraordinary love. In prose that is as grand, startling,
and particular as the New England landscape that inhabits her characters
as much as they inhabit it, Yannick Murphy tells a story that will break
and repair your heart."
-- Chris Adrian, author of The Great Night