The Garden of Last Days

A Novel

By: Andre Dubus III

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

One early September night in Florida, a stripper brings her daughter to work. April's usual babysitter is in the hospital, so she decides it's best to have her three-year-old daughter close by, watching children's videos in the office, while she works.

Except that April works at the Puma Club for Men. And tonight she has an unusual client, a foreigner both remote and too personal, and free with his money. Lots of it, all cash. His name is Bassam.

Meanwhile, another man, A. J., has been thrown out of the club for holding hands with his favorite stripper, and he's drunk and angry and lonely.

From these explosive elements comes a relentless, raw, searing, passionate narrative, a big-hearted and painful novel about sex and parenthood and honor and masculinity.

Set in the seamy underside of American life at the moment before the world changed, it juxtaposes lust for domination with hunger for connection, sexual violence with family love. It seizes the listener by the throat with the same psychological tension, depth, and realism that characterized Andre Dubus' number-one best seller - House of Sand and Fog - and has an even greater sense of the dark and anguished places in the human heart.

©2008 Andre Dubus III (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Heartstopping and Unrelenting

This story grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let you go. Characters are real and suffering. Loved it. Great narration too. Will add this author to my favorites.

Sneaks up on you

I had heard this book reviewed on the radio as being one of The Books of the summer. The first third of the book takes place in low end mens club and the life of single mom who is working there. Just when your wondering where this is all going, the different characters are pulled together, making the 2nd half of this book worth listening to. A very good book, of peoples lives, problems and the days leading up to and including 9/11.

Another winner

This is a favorite author of mine, he can really involve me in a character and story line no matter how diverse.I find myself caring about a struggling underachiever as well as a failing widow or a devout Moslem. This story reminded me of Spike Lee's "Do the Right thing" Everyone doing their best and the results vary from devastating to redeeming.

Long wait for no payoff

I liked listening to the book until the end. The story was well written and I eagerly anticipated the final revelation of how everything would come together. After such lovely detail and insight into the characters' minds during the first 13 hours of the book, it was a great letdown that the ending was so understated and fast. I felt locked out of the characters' experiences when Dubus shifted to an overview style.

not bad.

although i was a little slow in getting through the beginning of this book i found i was glued to the ending.. really not a bad listen..good characters. made me want to save a stripper..