The Winter Zoo: A Novel

By John Beckman

A sexy, hilarious novel of wayward young expatriates -- and the difference between doing good and feeling good. In 1990, a young man named Gurney abandons his newborn daughter in an Iowa delivery room and escapes into Krakow, Poland, where it seems as if everyone is hunting for the next new thing. Upon this seductive frontier, Gurney devotes himself to a life of irresponsibility. Already ensconced in Poland is Gurney's cousin Jane, a master manipulator who occupies the center of Krakow's spiderweb of sexual and political intrigue. As Jane and Gurney's relationship swerves thrillingly closer to the incestuous, Gurney crosses paths -- and often swords -- with Krakow's gallery of rogues and innocents. Among them are Wanda, Jane's virginal yet rebellious roommate, who harbors for Gurney a not-so-secret crush; Dick Chestnutt, a sodden American expatriate; Jackie Witherspoon, an ambitious young scholar of uncertain sexuality and allegiance; and Zbigniew Zamoyski, Wanda's father, a former Communist aristocrat who decides that the fun, and Gurney, must be stopped. Seamlessly juxtaposing totalitarianism and freedom, the political and the personal, John Beckman has created a magical world. Evocative and suberbly crafted, The Winter Zoo marks the debut of a young writer of enormous talent and promise.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805069046
• ISBN13: 9780805069044
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 1.4" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Orgiastic Good Fun

John Beckman has written a terrific novel. Not just an accurate depiction of post-Communist Poland and the people who live there, but a highly intriguing story capable of capturing the minds of readers in any setting. The fact that it takes place in one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe is just icing on the cake. Well developed characters put Beckman ahead of contemporaries like Coupland or Palahniuk, and the plot and dialogue is as entertaining as any I've read. The Winter Zoo should find its way to your bookshelf this fall.

Beckman's accurate look at Poland

I recently purchased "The Winter Zoo". Throughout the experience of reading it, I couldn't help but feel absolutely enthralled by it. A year ago I spent 10 months living in Warsaw, Poland teaching English. I was able to travel to the beautiful city of Krakow on several occasions. John Beckman's accurate look at Krakow and Polish people is reason enough to buy the book. Even though the novel itself is fiction, Beckman is extremely accurate when describing Krakow. The unique thing about this book however, is Beckman's ability to create for the reader a city brewing with sexual intrigue and hidden dangers from a traditionally medieval city. Mr. Beckman chooses to stray away from the "traditional" sense of Krakow and instead opt for a more adventurous thriller. I reccomend this book to anyone interested in Eastern Europe and all the wonderful suprises it has to offer. I look forward to reading more of John Beckman in the future.

Sweet Sweet Jane

Not since Henry Miller's 40 page letter --to a woman he never met --have I been so seduced by an epistolary musing. A breathless jaunt through the dirty snows of Poland complete with young bohemians, incestuous affairs, illicit gaming halls, earth-worm soup and damn good writing, Beckman's extraordinary Winter Zoo is a necessary elixir for anyone who's secretly harbored an expatriate yearning. Pour yourself a tall glass of absinthe and enjoy.

Blown-Away

Rarely do I read a book that stirs in me an awe of what little black letters on paper can do to my heart. John Beckman's Winter Zoo is one of those books.

Escape(?) to Poland?

This was a compelling read once I got into it. I found the description of life in Poland at that time period fascinating.