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The Magic Kingdom

Introduction by Rick Moody

Collection Lannan Selections

Paperback
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Abandoned by his wife and devastated by the death of his twelve-year old son, Eddy Bale becomes obsessed with the plight of terminally ill children and develops a plan to provide a last hurrah dream vacation for seven children who will never grow-up.

Eddy and his four dysfunctional chaperones journey to the entertainment capital of America—Disney World. Once they arrive, a series of absurdities characteristic of an Elkin novel—including a freak snowstorm and a run-in with a vengeful Mickey Mouse—transform Eddy's idealistic wish into a fantastic nightmare.

 

Details

ISBN-10 1-56478-259-X
ISBN-13 9781564782595
Publication Date Sep 2000
Nb of pages 317
Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5 in.

Summary

 

Additional Materials

Essays available for downloading

Reviews

Press Reviews

New York Times Book Review
The comic vision of this work is both hysterical and profound. Part sick joke, part lyrical meditation on the nature of disease, the journey to this magic kingdom earns its place among the dark voyages that fiction must chronicle.

Los Angeles Times
The Magic Kingdom is a rich but macabre business, a novel—a comic novel—about the death of children . . . Elkin is impressive.

Publishers Weekly
Elkin's formidable intelligence, acute powers of observation and extraordinary ability to manipulate language are all at play in this absurd yet convincing and mordantly funny story.

New York Times
As always, Mr. Elkin plays the crazy music of his prose—takes off at the hint of a theme on his soaring funky riffs and jazzy blue notes. Not only among Elkin's best works of fiction, but a comedy that cuts so many ways that it leaves us bleeding with laughter.

Library Journal
Once again Elkin reigns inimitably over his domain, a wonderful world where affirmation cavorts with pain and death, and where the disease in comic vision's pratfalls are given its healthy due.

New York Review of Books
An extraordinary artist in language.

Newsday
Audaciously conceived characters, the sliest of dialogue, sophisticated wit allied to generosity of spirit, and writing that comes at the reader with hurricane force—these are what make Elkin's magical mystery tour such a splendid work of fiction.



Quotations

Here again is the ferocious Elkin genius, elevated this time to even higher powers of astonishment. All writers have contempt and hatred for death, but Elkin's comic shocks stand against death more than Dostoyevsky knew how to imagine. And the language, the language!
-Cynthia Ozick

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