At the Shores

by Thomas Rogers

Book Overview

"At the Shores is a novel of love in America. Set in the Indiana dunes and Chicago, it tells the story of Jerry Engels, an appealing, handsome, middle-class boy, who even in elementary school finds... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590511506
• ISBN13: 9781590511503
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Other Press (NY)
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A story of the triumph of love over lust

This is one of the most quietly beautiful books I have ever read. Set in Chicago and the mysterious world of the Indiana Dunes on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, Rogers evokes the feeling of two very different landscapes with seamless prose as he tells what will undoubtedly become one of the classic American coming-of-age novels. I appreciated the maturity of this book, which tells the story of a young boy who lusts after every girl he meets while longing, deep down, for a more profound and lasting relationship.

Move Over "Catcher in the Rye"!

Rogers is finally getting the critical acclaim he so richly deserves (see Cathleen Shine in the New York Review of Books). Philip Roth calls him the Evelyn Waugh of our time. "At the Shores" is a beautifully crafted coming of age story that will appeal to adults and teenagers alike; the writing shimmers on the page like the summer heat across the Indiana dunes Rogers lovingly describes. While so many modern novels rely on shock or style quirks to grab attention, Rogers captivates us the timeless way: with a moving story of authentic characters and emotion rendered in flawless prose. "At the Shores" should be combined with Rogers' three other major novels: "The Confessions of the Child of the Century," "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "Jerry Engels" (sequel to "At the Shores"), to appreciate the full arc of his talent. Just as Philip Larkin resurrected the incomparable charms of Barbara Pym's writing, we can only hope the new critical attention given to Rogers' work will now give a wider audience the pleasure of discovering him.