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Overview
Luke Rivers is a part-time bartender and full-time gambler who dreams of scoring big at the dog races. He travels the greyhound circuit with his wife, Jenny, and their young son, Jake, until one morning he wakes up in a motel in Rapid City, South Dakota, to discover that Jenny has left him and taken Jake with her. Now, for the first time, Luke must confront himself-both the tragic family past that led him to gambling and the uncertain future that lies ahead-while coping with a bewildering present. The Greyhound God is the account of Rivers's anguished search for understanding and purpose.Morris evokes with deft intelligence the colorful world of dog racing and the characters, human and canine, who inhabit it. But this is merely a background for the travails of Luke and his little family, the cheap motels and dusty dreams, the tensions between Luke's tender love for his son and his obsession with his betting "system." Luke's dilemma-whether to pursue Jenny or to continue his gambling life- is complicated further by the presence of a beautiful, sympathetic woman he meets after Jenny leaves, by his painful memories of family tragedy and personal breakdowns, and by a seemingly miraculous winning streak at the track.
The Greyhound God is a powerful novel of self-discovery by a writer at the top of his form. Seldom in contemporary fiction has the troubled psyche of a compulsive gambler been examined with such empathy and insight, nor has the world of gambling been depicted with such dead-on clarity.
About the Author
Keith Lee Morris is assistant professor of creative writing at Clemson University. His short stories have been published in numerous literary journals including Puerto del Sol, Georgia Review, and theNew England Review.
Synopsis
A restless man, obsessed with dog races, embarks on a journey leading to his Idaho hometown in this debut novel.
Library Journal
Luke Rivers bets on dogs. For a living. Not exactly the most stable form of employment for a young husband and father of a five-year-old. Luke takes his wife, Jenny, and his son, Jake, in their used Honda from track to track across the Midwest. When the bets don't pan out, Luke bartends and Jenny waits tables. But one night Jenny decides she has had enough of this gypsy lifestyle and leaves, taking Jake with her. Luke waits for her call, but when it doesn't come he sets out on his own. Luke has always used racing to distract himself from memories of his younger brother's murder. Now dealing with the loss of both past and present family, he suddenly hits a winning streak and meets Sarah, who joins him on his quest for answers about his past and its connection to his betting obsession. Morris, who credits The Catcher in the Rye as his inspiration for his first novel, has crafted an affecting novel with a strong narrator in Luke, a young wanderer coming to terms with the meaning of his life. Recommended for most public libraries.-Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.