Dirt

3.19 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 1,838 ratings, 307 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Dirt by David Vann, the narrative follows a young man named Galen as he lives with his mother on their family farm. The story delves into their reclusive existence, exploring themes of isolation, familial tension, and a longing for freedom. As Galen grapples with his conflicting desires and aspirations, he becomes increasingly entwined in the psychological complexities of his environment.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3400
Elsewhere:
$3700
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Exploring the complexities of family dynamics and personal turmoil, this gripping tale is set in the stark beauty of a Californian wilderness. You might enjoy it if you appreciate character-driven narratives that delve into emotional depth, highlighting the tension between freedom and familial obligation.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Dirt

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The year is 1985, and 22-year-old Galen lives with his emotionally dependent mother in a secluded old house with a walnut orchard in a suburb of Sacramento. He doesn't know who his father is, his abusive grandfather is dead, and his grandmother, losing her memory, has been shipped off to a nursing home.

Galen and his mother survive on old family moneyβ€”an inheritance that his Aunt Helen and 17-year-old cousin, Jennifer, are determined to get their hands on. A bulimic vegetarian who considers himself an old soul, Galen is a New Age believer on a warpath towards transcendence, practising meditation, firewalking, etheric surgery, and authentic movement. He yearns for transformation: to free himself from the corporeal, to be as weightless as air, and to walk on water. But he's powerless to stop the manic binges that overtake him, leading him to gorge on meat and other forbidden desires, including sex.

A prisoner of his body, he is obsessed with thoughts of the boldly flirtatious Jennifer and dreams of shedding himself of the clinging mother whose fears and needs also weigh him down. When the family takes a trip to an old cabin in the Sierras, near South Lake Tahoe, tensions come to a climax. Caught in a compromising position, Galen will discover the shocking truth of just how far he will go to attain the transcendence he craves.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781921922572

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 April 2012

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 330g

Pages: 240

About the Author

David Vann is the winner of fourteen prizes, including France's Prix Medicis Etranger 2010, Spain's Premi Llibreter 2011, the Grace Paley Prize 2007, a California Book Award 2008, the AWP Nonfiction Award 2009, and France's L'Express readers' prize 2010. His books - Legend of a Suicide, Caribou Island, A Mile Down, and Last Day on Earth - have appeared on forty-five Best Books of the Year lists in ten countries.

Also by David Vann

View all

More from General Fiction

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.