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A novel written as a sharp parable of American society, addressing love, purpose, discrimination, and poverty. In Jeffrey Lewis's novel, the Land of Cockaigne, once an old medieval peasants' vision of a sensual paradise on earth, is reimagined as a plot on the coast of Maine. In efforts to assuage their grief over their son's death and to make meaning of his life, Walter Rath and Catherine Gray build what they hope will be a version of paradise for a group of young men from the Bronx. As Walter and Catherine work to reinvent this land, formerly a summer resort, the surrounding town of Sneeds Harbor proves resistant. The residents' well-meaning doubts lead to well-hidden threats, and the Raths' marriage unravels as Walter loses faith in democracy. Meanwhile, the Bronx boys, who have only ever known the city, try to navigate this new land that is completely alien to them. Written as a parable of contemporary American society, Land of Cockaigne is by turns furious, funny, subversive, tragic, and horrifying. Faced with the question of what to do amid disastrous times, Walter Rath offers a clue: Love is an action, not a feeling. Once you go down this path of faith, there is much to be done.
Jeffrey Lewis has won a string of awards for his novels including the Independent Publishers Gold Medal for General Fiction, and the ForeWord Book of the Year Silver Medal for Fiction. His most recent book, Bealport: A Novel of a Town, was a 2019 Maine Literary Award finalist. He also received two Emmy Awards and been nominated twelve times for his work as a television writer and producer, most notably for Hill Street Blues.
1The Arrival // 5A Son's Siddhartha Moment // 11Two Hours in the Bronx // 15Aftermath // 21The Land of Cockaigne // 23The Talk of the Town // 27The Hypocrite // 35An Email Walter Received Before Going in the Rain to the Selectmen's Meeting // 37It Had to be You // 43The Caretaker // 49Fifteen Hours in the Bronx // 55Friends // 73On the Bus // 75Overheard // 77Costs // 79Moods // 83Menus // 85Rules for Activities // 87Great Expectations // 95Microaggressions // 111A Note from the Town's Tree Committee // 113A Gift // 119Players // 127Sweet Dreams // 129Donnie Gets a Ride to Pick Up His Truck // 131D-Money and Smoothie and Shifty: A Play in One Act By Sharon Mason // 147Last Night // 153Fire Is Dangerous Thing // 161Assessments // 169An Email Sharon Recieved While Waiting in the Baggage Claim at LaGuardia // 171Considerations // 177Hate Crime // 181The Ghosts // 185The Departure //
‘Land of Cockaigne examines the impact the wealthy have on their communities, the ugliness of reactionary politics, and the sometimes insular nature of small towns.’