{"product_id":"the-harder-they-come-a-novel-isbn-9780062349385","title":"The Harder They Come: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent in the American character \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in contemporary Northern California, \u003cem\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/em\u003e explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son's paranoid, much older lover—as they careen towards an explosive confrontation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a vacation cruise to Central America with his wife, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen unflinchingly kills a gun-wielding robber menacing a busload of senior tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California, after the ordeal—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdam has become involved with Sara Hovarty Jennings, a hardened member of the Sovereign Citizens’ Movement, right-wing anarchists who refuse to acknowledge the laws and regulations of the state, considering them to be false and non-applicable. Adam’s senior by some fifteen years, Sara becomes his protector and inamorata. As Adam's mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly schizophrenic—a breakdown that leads him to shoot two people in separate instances. On the run, he takes to the woods, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs he explores a father’s legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, T. C. Boyle offers unparalleled psychological insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, \u003cem\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/em\u003e is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eA \u003cem\u003eNEWSWEEK\u003c\/em\u003e BEST NOVEL OF THE YEAR\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA TOP 10 BOOK OF 2015 (Michiko Kakutani, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in contemporary Northern California, \u003cem\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/em\u003e explores the volatile connections between three damaged people—an aging Vietnam veteran, his psychologically unstable son, and the son’s paranoid, much older lover—as they careen toward an explosive confrontation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a cruise to Central America, seventy-year-old Sten Stensen kills an armed robber menacing a busload of tourists. The reluctant hero is relieved to return home to Fort Bragg, California—only to find that his delusional son, Adam, has spiraled out of control. Adam has become involved with Sara, a hardened member of a right-wing anarchist group. As his mental state fractures, he becomes increasingly delusional until a schizophrenic breakdown leads him to shoot two people, spurring the biggest manhunt in California history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs T.C. Boyle explores a father’s legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, he offers unparalleled insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, \u003cem\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/em\u003e is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A gripping read and a powerful commentary on American themes of self-reliance and anti-authoritarianism… eerily prescient.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Brooklyn Rail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The latest from a prolific and acclaimed novelist, \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is a family saga that maps the relationships between the three people at its heart, as their potent mix of violence and paranoia urges them toward tragedy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The latest from a prolific and acclaimed novelist, \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is a family saga that maps the relationships between the three people at its heart, as their potent mix of violence and paranoia urges them toward tragedy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHuffington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“...Boyle tellingly explores the anger, paranoia, and violence lurking in the shadowlands of the American psyche. A powerful and profoundly unsettling tale.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This new work of fiction from Boyle presents a fractured threesome: a 70-year-old ex-Marine, his troubled son and the son’s older girlfriend-a right-wing anarchist. A dark novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e explores violence and the American psyche.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“When precisely...does T.C. Boyle sleep? In the 35 years since his first book came out, Boyle has published 14 novels and more than 100 stories. \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is the usual T.C. Boyle...circus of serious-minded zaniness.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e has no solutions to the delusions and dysfunctions it portrays. But it taps memorably into something deeply skewed in the American psyche.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Oregonian (Portland)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[M]arvelous… thrilling, intense... [T]he story and the characters...are amazing. Early in his career, Boyle could be pointlessly intense... His late style...is something to behold; it has the same verve and pace, but in service now to an adroit realism. ” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“...Beyond the page-turning dramatic events, Boyle describes the fragile humanity and emotional turmoil that lie behind the facades of even those who seem to be hardened, extremist or who are genuinely crazy. Readers might be sympathetic to what the characters feel, even if they don’t agree with their conduct, because there’s some of that fragility and turmoil in all of us.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLisa Ko, author of The Leavers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In his 15th novel, the author of\u003ci\u003e The Tortilla Curtain\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDrop City\u003c\/i\u003e probes the psyches of three combustible characters... Sparks will fly.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Like the best of his work, Boyle’s no-frills narration makes for a fascinating journey up to the final page.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePaste Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“T.C. Boyle is a master at exposing the American psyche in his fiction. His new novel \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come \u003c\/i\u003e is yet another stunning example, an engaging portrait of family, violence, and anarchy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLargehearted Boy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is the 66-year-old Boyle’s 15th novel, displaying his characteristic energy, smart cultural references and talent for physical description. It’s the emotional element that takes second place here, though, leaving an unfinished feel to the work.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyle is a genius at capturing social microcosms and excavating emotions simmering beneath the surface of contemporary America...A gripping and revelatory tale.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC Between the Lines\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“...The pendulum swings back to high-adrenaline zaniness and pertinacious, destructive misfits. Individualism remains central, but unlike San Miguel, it’s far from contemplative. It is a juggernaut, twisted to borderline psychotic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[S]tunning… It’s gripping, funny and melancholy…\u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is a masterly - and arresting - piece of storytelling, arguably Mr. Boyle’s most powerful, kinetic novel yet.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMichiko Kakutani, New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“...A full-throated Harley Davidson of a novel... using some of fiction’s least fashionable attributes, social realism, pointed action...to brilliantly dissect America’s love affair with violence…[Boyle’s] prose manages to be both vivid and sharp, patient and pressing.. Boyle’s writing never loses energy or descriptive power.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] searing and masterful account of American violence and disaffection.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyle always writes well and has never shied away from challenging issues.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Written with both clarity and compassion, each of the novel’s characters inhabits a rich and convincing private world. As they traverse a landscape none of them control, their haunting stories illuminate the violent American battle with otherness.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“New York Times-best-selling author T.C. Boyle explores the volatile relationships between an aging veteran, his unstable son, and the son’s much older lover in \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzfeed, 27 Of The Most Exciting New Books of 2015\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A maximalist scribe of gothic melodrama, Boyle takes you on a manhunt through Californian pot groves, grisly Caribbean cruises, and Orwellian animal shelters before landing in horribly familiar territory: a disillusioned psychotic white guy with a gun. Still, plenty of sex, booze, and satire to lighten things up.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFifteen years ago, Boyle told \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e that he was ‘writing novels of social engagement...These same concerns appear in \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e... It is not a cheerful book. The best ones never are.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Set in Northern California and rooted in actual events, \u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is a meditation on violence, specifically in the context of American history and culture. The text examines the connections between three damaged and explosive yet sympathetic people.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrooklyn Daily Eagle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“T.C. Boyle again explores his favorite territory, the American psyche, in \u003cthe harder they come\u003e, a gripping novel about an aging Vietnam vet and his mentally unstable son, out in April.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTampa Bay Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/the\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyle’s...hypnotic narrative probes the complexities of heroism, violence, power, and resistance...Written with both clarity and compassion, each of the novel’s characters inhabits a rich and convincing private world. As they traverse a landscape none of them control, their haunting stories illuminate the violent American battle with otherness.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyle has long been one of the most exciting and intelligent storytellers in the United States. His upcoming novel describes a mentally ill young man involved with a group of violent anarchists.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[T]hrilling… Boyle can paint a scene in vibrant colors…. [with] characters, who, to his credit, occupy a dark space between psychosis and Americana...” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Boyle’s tart and exuberant powers of description, of people and places, and his cheerful black humor are as exhilarating as ever.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Harder They Come\u003c\/i\u003e is the 66-year-old Boyle’s 15th novel, and it displays his characteristic energy, smart cultural references and talent for physical description.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDallas Morning News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888770019557,"sku":"NP9780062349385","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062349385.jpg?v=1730229797","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-harder-they-come-a-novel-isbn-9780062349385","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}