The answer to Doug Willis' mid-life crisis is a sabbatical at his rural retreat in Preston Falls, two months spent restoring the faded splendour of the farmhouse, reading Dickens in the evening and watching summer gently fade to autumn. But following a marathon whiskey drinking session, a disastrous attempt to tear out the living room ceiling and an incident with a sheriff at a local campsite, Willis ends his first weekend away in jail, and it's clear the wired, burned-out New York copy-writer within is still very much to the fore. And while Willis' wife Jean struggles to pay the bills and raise their sullen, sceptical kids, Willis' 'break' crumbles into Dewars- and Cocaine-fuelled disarray, and he embarks on another kind of journey altogether.
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A bitingly sharp novel from one of America's darkest and most brilliant chroniclers
About the Author
SALES POINTS Preston Falls confirms David Gates as a master of sharp observation, dark truths and private longings - a writer in the tradition of Russell Banks and Richard Ford 'Beautifully written . . . Gates [has a] pitch-perfect ear for contemporary speech . . . and a keen, journalistic eye' New York Times 'What gives Preston Falls its jittery buzz, and its intelligence and charm, is Gates' ever-sharp ear for dialogue, for the wisecracks and half-veiled hostilities that pass for communication' People 'A fierce and gleefully perverse account of mid-life crisis . . . An apocalyptic satire that reminds us why his previous novel, Jernigan, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize' Arena 'David Gates makes me sick with envy' Nick Hornby
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Late Friday afternoon they start for Preston Falls: Jean and the kids in the Cherokee, Willis in his truck with Rathbone the dog riding shotgun. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Late Friday afternoon they start for Preston Falls: Jean and the kids in the Cherokee, Willis in his truck with Rathbone the dog riding shotgun. Read the first page
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This work is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Willis, our "hero", decides to opt out for 2 months at his country, holiday home; away from his wife, kids and job. Ostensibly to catch up with maintenance and repairs, but really to take a mid life break to read , play his guitars, think and be alone. It is apparent from the start that all is not well in his marriage or professional life as he and his wife Jean bicker constantly from the moment they arrive at Preston Falls. Early on we also notice that their prepubescent daughter and her young brother lack acceptable discipline and are slipping towards the uncontrollable. After an unhappy leave taking and happily alone he becomes hyper as fueled by booze and then drugs Willis tackles with disastrous results the home improvements. Having created a building shambles, he then catches up with his family to try for a truce , but ends up in jail. After support from his long suffering wife Jean he returns on his own to Preston Falls, becomes part of a substance abusing bunch of amateur rock musicians, is trapped into drug transporting cocaine and watches his life spiral downwards. Will he get a grip on his life before it is too late and how will his wife manage to deal with the financial and emotional pressures ,on top of her own career, on her own. It would be wrong to reveal more of the story which is not strong on plot , but fascinating none the less and held me page after page.
In David Gates we have a fine observer of life and an outstanding writer of sharp, witty, believable dialogue. This is a serious piece of contemporary writing putting Gates on a par with Kent Haruf, Tim Gatereaux and Richard Russo.
Ninety five percent of this book is unquestionable 5 star, but due to a slightly unsatisfying ending I have docked a star, but will certainly read more by David Gates.
In David Gates we have a fine observer of life and an outstanding writer of sharp, witty, believable dialogue. This is a serious piece of contemporary writing putting Gates on a par with Kent Haruf, Tim Gatereaux and Richard Russo.
Ninety five percent of this book is unquestionable 5 star, but due to a slightly unsatisfying ending I have docked a star, but will certainly read more by David Gates.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This is a book full of powerful characters, transcendent writing, and humor that makes you stop and think for a while after you quit laughing. More than anything, the novel is a careful and precise look at men, women, children, work, friends and family, and the way lives and choices play out when people can't make decisions because they're not certain what they're after. Chapter nine of section three is one of the finest stretches of writing I've ever come across, especially the last paragraph in the chapter where Jean is walking down the hall in a hotel. So many people complain that there is no thoughtful, virtuoso writing being published these days--well, this book is the genuine article, literate, brilliant, and painfully insightful.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
After only a couple chapters of Preston Falls, the reader realizes that Mr. Gates accomplishes what few authors are able to: he depicts the fears, insecurities, and frustrations that we all have and does so in a believable way. Often, I found his observations to be omnisciently accurate. For example, when the middle-aged protagonist is about to snort a few lines of blow with his guitar-playing pseudo-scumbag buddies, thereby symbolically snapping the fraying strings which are attaching him to his unsatisfying family life, the author describes how Willis is feeling about recapturing his youth in such a recklessly taboo fashion: "Suddenly he feels like he has to s---: the excitement of being bad"(p.102). Until I read this, I was under the impression that I was the only human alive who felt the almost unrestrainable need to relieve my bowels as I was about to do something naughty (something I first experienced when I held a match to a cigarette in the back yard with my adolescent friends). Mr. Gates fills his book with countless keen observations like this. His character development combines elements of John Irving and Nicholson Baker, and his dialogue is believable and easy-flowing about 95% of the time. The only thing which may have been a bit ovedone was Jean's super goody-goodyness (For God's sake, Ms. Willis, it's alright if your nine-year-old son uses the word "suck"!). But as a whole, Doug Willis, Jean, Reed, Calvin, and Champ are complex and imaginative (yet plausible) characters, who are as predictable and unpredictable as we all can be. This is a quick book to read and well worth it. But warning. . .it's hard to put down!
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3.3 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best
My favourite novel ever , i've read it about 6 times and it gets better every time (there's not many you can say that about).
His earlier one "Jernigan" is also superb . Read more
His earlier one "Jernigan" is also superb . Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2007 by Stevie Dal
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only sure thing about Doug is that he is unsure...
Doug Willis has reached that age. He sees his achievements only as wrong choices and, in his mind, he stands at the midlife crossroads. Doug is tired. Life tires him. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2003 by Brian G
3.0 out of 5 stars
The decay of family nucleus
I would have to agree with my predecessor's review in rating this book: Three stars (and a half) for allowing reader to fly through this text due to dialogue and perfect clarity. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping tale of family man struggling to see the point.
"Preston Falls" is a story about Doug Willis and his wife Jean.
Doug ("Willis") is a cynical and self-aware middle class copywriter whilst Jean is more... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2001 by simonpwhittaker@hotmail.com
3.0 out of 5 stars
A story about growing up and giving up.
The story revolves around a family trying to survive the rigours of middle class society. Doug Willis is tired of the life he has lived over the last decade or so, working 9 - 5 as... Read more
Published on 18 Nov 2000 by stuclachan@hotmail.com
3.0 out of 5 stars
Watch as men and women fall into their special hells.
Reading Preston Falls is like having one of those nightmares that you can't explain to your friends why it upset you so much -- where the look of things in the dream is ordinary,... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars
Narcissist male gender identity complex at it's worst.
The main character,Willis,is a repulsive narcissist who revels in the smell of his cheesy, dirty feet. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 1999
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful writing style, but unsympathetic main character
The book kept my attention because it is very well-written. The observations are great. There is enough humor to keep it from being depressing. Read more
Published on 20 July 1999
2.0 out of 5 stars
Who is this guy?
Preston Falls was an easy read that probably deserves at least one more star. However, the main character and his motives are so underdeveloped that I didn't only not know who he... Read more
Published on 13 July 1999
2.0 out of 5 stars
This book is about a white guy.
I ain't read the book, but I'm sure there's words in it. There was words in the last book I read--too many to count. And that's what books need more of: numbers. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . . Read more
Published on 8 July 1999
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