How Lucky

A Novel

By: Will Leitch

Narrated by: Graham Halstead

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

2022 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel

“A fantastic novel.... You are going to like this a lot.” (Stephen King)

“What’s more thrilling than a fictional character speaking to us in a voice we haven’t heard before, a voice so authentic and immediate - think Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield, Mattie Ross - that we suspect it must’ve been there all along, that we somehow managed to miss it? Daniel, the protagonist of Will Leitch’s smart, funny, heartbreaking new novel How Lucky, is just such a voice, and I’m not sure it will ever completely leave my head, or that I want it to.” (Richard Russo)

For listeners of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door.

Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He’s got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and, of course, for a few glorious days each fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy - despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair.

Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped....

©2020 Will Leitch (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Suspenseful

Sweet story with nod to Rear Window. Authentic voice added a humanity to the story

Great story, great narrator

This is a wonderful story told in an original voice: that of Daniel, a 26-year old man with SMA (spinal muscle atrophy) that keeps him wheelchair-bound --an electric wheelchair, which he can still manage with the little musculature he has remaining. He speaks only with the aid of an iPad artificial voice generator (think Stephen Hawking). He lives alone in Athens Georgia, where the town is focused on football. He has one very good friend, and a wonderful caretaker. One day he sees a student apparently being abducted, and much of the book details his efforts to verify that fact and to help locate her and free her. The book is quite beautiful in its very real depiction of physical disability (along with superb mental ability). Laced throughout, is laugh out loud humor. This is a lovely book, with several very good guys (and woman) and one very bad guy. The story is read perfectly by Graham Halstead. Well worth your time.

Thought provoking!

Slow at the first but warms up to a great story!
I enjoyed it!

Really great, can’t imagine a better 2nd novel.

Main character, mid-20’s, is living with a debilitating disease, one that is going to kill him before age 30. Nevertheless, he has adopted a stoic approach to his condition, appreciating his circle of supporters and some opportunities to have fun and feeling, well, lucky.

On top of this, he witnesses a crime committed by a bad guy who fails to acknowledge the wheelchair-bound narrator as a threat. But they connect on the internet. Police are unimpressed by our hero’s powers of observation and detective bent. What follows is action packed, but also insightful and entertaining. Read it.

Simply perfect

When I was about an hour and a half into this, I had to look up the author because his handling of disability was so magnificent - and I say this as a person with multiple disabilities, even if none are so significant as the main character's. He is not at all who is have imagined - and yet this story rings with a truth I'm so happy for having experienced.

Think about Rear Window, the classic movie. Add in a big dollop of ablist BS about what a non-verbal person's mind is capable of, some really amazing humans, and a lot of social minded observation, and you are getting close.

Also, if you are a transplant to Georgia, specifically North Georgia and/or the Athens area, take double points.

Perspective

I am a pediatric rehab specialist who has treated many with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) and other muscular dystrophy. I loved that this book was from the perspective of someone that too few hear because it requires patience and attention to detail. It shows the disability of a police officer who lacks the patience and misses details. Listen to this book and it will make you a better person.

Amazing story!

This book captivated me from beginning to end, it’s a wild story with heartfelt characters. I also learned so much about Daniel’s disease and have a new heart for it.

No need for Political Jabs

To Will Leitch: References such as “white nationalists”, southern systemic voter suppression”, and “right wing memes” to name a few, are in no way related to the story/plot and add nothing to it. Better to leave out the political jabs and focus on the story.

Wonderful! Disability studies in action!

this was a wonderful book. I love the wisdom of making the hero disabled. I learned so much about my own abilities but also lack of abilities.

Touching and insightful

This book seemed to really illustrate what it's like to be severely handicapped, but yet was hopeful at the same time. The narrator was outstanding!