The Valley of Ashes

By Eli Thorpe

A City of Dreams and AshesSo begins the story of two young men trying to find their way through the turbulence of the 1970s -- not the nostalgic 1970s of popular culture, but the 1970s of drugs, violence, economic crisis, dying industry and lost dreams. They were members of an age group sometimes called The Blank Generation, lost between the Boomers and the Genexers. These are not the people of discos, gold chains and polyester leisure suits, the Boomers who were shaped by the Vietnam War. These are the people on the edges, shaped and disillusioned by Watergate, Ford and Carter. Set against the backdrop of a city built on steel, the novel follows Mike Shaunessey and his relationship with the unorthodox Dave Freeman on and off from 1973 through 1979. Upon this shifting base, Mike, ever conventional and practical, tries to build a life, while Dave, living his life without plan or structure, seems always to get by. Undisturbed by circumstances, reserved and self-contained, he continually hopes to be accepted as he is. Mike and Dave form an unlikely friendship. Mike follows Dave into places where he never would never go alone, places where Dave seems comfortable and in control. Daves life is not idyllic, however, as he is dogged by CJ, who will not understand anything that is not normal, and seeks to destroy whatever he cannot understand. Despite their differences, Mike and Dave try to maintain their friendship through comings and goings and ever-changing circumstances and relationships. As they mature, the differences between them become more stark, and the effort needed to maintain their relationship is ever greater. Their friendship and their strength of character are tested many times before Mikes final test comes along with the end of the turbulent decade.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 143276019X
• ISBN13: 9781432760199
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"