Synopsis
“A smart and original novel that flies from beginning to end...part noir, part anti-capitalist creed—its voice is both seductive and addictive.” —Richard Price, author of Lush Life
An unholy marriage of the classic American road narrative combined with the slyest moments of Thomas Pynchon, Give + Take is one part caper, one part social satire. Disillusioned after years of conspicuous consumption, jazz pianist Ross Clifton has become a talented thief, robbing from the rich to give to the poor. But when his teenage nephew, Cray, turns up to join him, his life on the road is turned upside down. Between his nephew’s criminal aspirations and Ross’ romance with an enigmatic singer, his grifter lifestyle is about to be in serious jeopardy.
Fast, furious, and felonious, Give + Take races along to a thrilling climax.
Publishers Weekly
In Fitch's wickedly enjoyable latest, Ross Clifton is a traveling jazz pianist who moonlights as a thief, stealing diamonds from the wealthy women he seduces after his gigs. Clifton's well-ordered life begins to unravel when he is asked to spend some time looking after his counterfeiter brother's troublesome 16-year-old son, Cray, whose attitude quickly gets under the laconic piano man's skin. Cray soon catches his felonious uncle in the act and ups the ante—with potentially disastrous consequences—when Clifton goes to visit his dying estranged father. Complicating this situation is Clifton's attraction to Marianne London, a beautiful singer with her own shady sideline. The two performers partner up (both on- and offstage) and talk about going straight until Marianne's past comes back to threaten them. Fitch (Senseless) hits notes suspenseful, romantic, and hilarious, and successfully bundles elements of noir, road novels, and family dramas into one consistently entertaining package. (May)