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The Free: A Novel

Author:
Willy Vlautin
Read by:
Willy Vlautin
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Ratings
Book
2
Narrator
Release Date
February 4, 2014
Duration
6 hours 46 minutes
Summary
In his heartbreaking yet hopeful fourth novel, award-winning author Willy Vlautin demonstrates his extraordinary talent for illuminating the disquiet of modern American life, captured in the experiences of three memorable characters looking for meaning in distressing times.

Severely wounded in the Iraq war, Leroy Kervin has lived in a group home for eight years. Frustrated by the simplest daily routines, he finds his existence has become unbearable. An act of desperation helps him disappear deep into his mind, into a world of romance and science fiction, danger and adventure where he is whole once again.

Freddie McCall, the night man at Leroy's group home, works two jobs yet still can't make ends meet. He's lost his wife and kids, and the house is next. Medical bills have buried him in debt, a situation that propels him to consider a lucrative—and dangerous—proposition.

Pauline Hawkins, a nurse, cares for the sick and wounded, including Leroy. She also looks after her mentally ill elderly father. Yet she remains emotionally removed, until she meets a young runaway who touches something deep and unexpected inside her.

In crystalline prose, both beautiful and devastating, this "major realist talent" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) considers the issues transforming ordinary people's lives—the cost of health care, the lack of economic opportunity, the devastating scars of war—creating an extraordinary contemporary portrait that is also a testament to the resiliency of the human heart.
Reviews
Profile Avatar Anonymous Jun 2024

I found the story line confusing as one of the main characters had a second “fantasy” story line that started and stopped randomly. That was distracting. A good read otherwise with a narrative that prompted excellent visualization of the characters and their circumstances.

The Free: A Novel

The Free: A Novel

Author: Willy Vlautin
Read by: Willy Vlautin
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