Burning Down George Orwell's House
Andrew Ervin
ISBN: 9781616956523
Published: May, 2015
Pricing
Paperback $16.00
Description
A darkly comic debut novel about advertising, truth, single malt, Scottish hospitality—or lack thereof—and George Orwell’s 1984.
Ray Welter, a high-powered Chicago ad executive, leaves his job and his wife for the Scottish Isle of Jura, where he intends to drop ...
A darkly comic debut novel about advertising, truth, single malt, Scottish hospitality—or lack thereof—and George Orwell’s 1984.
Ray Welter, a high-powered Chicago ad executive, leaves his job and his wife for the Scottish Isle of Jura, where he intends to drop out of the wired world and drink copious amounts of Scottish single malt. He soon finds himself in a dangerous feud with one of the locals, however, in addition to possibly being stalked by a legendary werewolf, all of which culminate on the night of Jura’s traditional, boozy werewolf hunt.
Media
“Burning Down George Orwell's House is really most enjoyable, a witty, original turn on the life and memory of the Sage of Jura, taking place on the island where he wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four. Eric Blair serves as the McGuffin in this story, which is one part black comedy and one part a meditation on modern life. It is well-written and truly original.”
–Robert Stone
“Ray Welter - corrupted, debauched, cuckolded, fighting all the way down - is a brilliant creation, and Andrew Ervin's Burning Down George Orwell's House is a work of laudable mischief. ”
–Owen King, author of Double Feature: A Novel
“A dramatic, thoughtful, and at times comic revisiting of (and attempt to escape from) Orwell's world. ”
–Kirkus on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“A wildly compelling debut novel from the original and inspired pen of Andrew Ervin, BURNING DOWN GEORGE ORWELL'S HOUSE is a captivating novel soaked in wit and whiskey. A dark, but striking read, the author ingeniously draws you into the disturbing world of Jura and it’s menacing inhabitants. A wickedly funny book, I was moved and excited, a highly effective and poetic revelation on consumer living. I fucking loved it.”
–Lisa O'Donnell, author of The Death of Bees
“Burning Down George Orwell's House is fiction as highwire act, and Ray Welter is a nowhere man for the ages, going down and out in the shadow of the man himself. Ervine tosses up hilarity and horror, musicality and menace, with page after page of firecracker prose. ”
—Marlon James
“Ervin excels at atmosphere and fish-out-of-water interactions. ”
–Publishers Weekly on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Captures the stark and chill atmosphere of the small island, on which strangers are unwelcome and apparently very good whiskey is consumed in copious quantities. ”
–Booklist on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“This dark comedy revisits the world of Orwell’s classic 1984 and its implications in our modern world. ”
–Harper's Bazaar on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“BURNING DOWN GEORGE ORWELL'S HOUSE will appeal to those who have wondered what ditching our smart phones and laptops would do to make our lives less complicated. What geographically remote island could we retreat to for some peace of mind and, obviously, some world-class scotch? ”
–The Santa Fe Writer's Project Quarterly
“A whisky-soaked hoot worth hollering about. ”
–The Austin Chronicle on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Ervin writes with skill and a penchant for the absurd ... Very funny. ”
–Library Journal on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Big Brother might not be watching [Ray Welter] but the island’s eccentric locals sure are and also, possibly, a werewolf. High comedy ensues as Welter tries to find himself, Orwell and the savage beast. ”
–New York Post on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“You will get thirsty, and if you can muster up a fire in a fireplace, you'll be set. ”
–Black Sheep Dances on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Wry and engaging ... Nineteen Eighty-Four casts a long shadow over countless books—but not this one ... Ervin has achieved something uniquely refreshing: a book that shows the taste and restraint to pay knowing, affectionate and humorous tribute to George Orwell without trying to prove him right—or to create some redundant simulacrum of his work.”
–Paste Magazine on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“As all good comedies do, Ervin's novel contains a sober question at its core — in this case, whether the idea of "escape" itself is just another manipulation sold to us "proles" by the very same wired world that engulfs and exhausts us. Take a wild guess what George Orwell would say. ”
–Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Follows in the tradition of classic comedies where a supposedly cosmopolitan outsider tests his welcome in an insular old-world village. Both come in for some good-natured satire. ”
–Newsday on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Is your dad interested in George Orwell, the Scottish Isles, excellent scotch, and/or werewolf hunts? If so, Andrew Ervin’s dark comedy is the book for him! ”
–BUSTLE on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“A breezy bit of fun for anyone who dreams of Scotland, enjoys a wee dram of scotch and wonders what it might be like to leave modern life behind – at least for a few hours. ”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Burning Down George Orwell’s House is a sweet book full of delights. Since many of its best passages are rhapsodies on single malt whiskies, one is tempted to call it a wee bonny dram of a tale." ”
–The New York Times Book Review
“Besides the sheer entertainment that Burning Down George Orwell's House provides, its value comes in its power to make readers stop and take a close look at their own priorities. ”
–Bookreporter.com
“Who among us hasn’t felt the urge to flee the giant mess we’ve made of our life and just disappear off the grid, somewhere quiet where we can lick our wounds and regroup? In this hilarious black comedy, Ray Welter does just that, escaping a failed marriage and a soul-crushing career, and retreating to the remote island in the Scottish Hebrides where George Orwell wrote 1984. ”
–LitHub on Burning Down George Orwell's House
“Raises genuine questions about ambition, change, and freedom. The novel never offers Ray or the reader simplistic answers to life’s questions, and it tempers Ray’s misery with comic moments. By the end, although Ray finds it impossible to be truly off the grid, he does find his way back to himself. Readers will enjoy going with him on that journey. ”