You Can See More From Up Here

De: Mark Guerin

Narrado por: Mark Guerin

In 2004, when middle-aged Walker Maguire is called to the deathbed of his estranged father, his thoughts return to 1974. He'd worked that summer at the auto factory where his dad, an unhappily retired Air Force colonel, was employed as plant physician. Witness to a bloody fight falsely blamed on a Mexican immigrant, Walker kept quiet, fearing his white co-workers and tyrannical father. Lies snowball into betrayals, leading to a life-long rift between father and son that can only be mended by the past coming back to life and revealing its long-held secrets. You Can See More From Up Here is a coming-of-age tale about the illusion of privilege and the power of the past to inform and possibly heal the present.

Praise for You Can See More From Up Here:

"In this novel, author Guerin beautifully captures the powerful contradictions of the relationship between father and son, which combines elements of friendship and antagonism. The prose is confident and confessional throughout...like the journalist he is, Walker clamors for the truth, whether it's consoling or not. A poignantly told story of ruminative remembrance." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Alternating between a summer (in 1974) and winter 30 years later, as Walker sits at his dying father's bedside, the book examines the dichotomy of a strict father and his conscientious son, both products of their respective times.... Mark Guerin's debut maneuvers through heartbreak with grace, navigating family expectations, a community's pervasive racism, and how peoples' actions shape others' opinions." (Forward Reviews)

©2019 Mark Guerin (P)2019 Mark Guerin

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A poignantly told story of ruminative remembrance." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Maneuvers through heartbreak with grace." (Forward Reviews)

"Skillfully navigates the twist of familial bonds." (E. B. Moore, author of An Unseemly Wife)

Great New Author!

Mark Guerin's first novel is a winner. An enjoyable read for anyone of any age. Although I grew up in a very different type of family, I found the book captivating and relevant. The author found universal similarities in family dynamics that every reader can relate to. The characters were engaging and the story kept my attention throughout. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to all. Anxiously waiting for the author's next book!

Vivid and Poignant

Mark Guerin's debut novel is rich with vivid and poetic descriptions of the people and places that shape the protagonist Walker's life and journey to maturity.  The characters are alive and nuanced; the descriptions of the factory workers, for example, are solid in a way that reminds me of the movie "Blue Collar."

The book is timely in its representation of the persistent hate-fueled discrimination against Latinos, and I think that Walker's relationship with Connie, especially over the years, is beautifully drawn over the wide arc of personal histories. 

Walker's stubborn adherence to the grudge against his father is understandable to a degree, but I kept thinking "grow up, guy!"...which he eventually does, like many children who finally realize the human fallibility of their parents.

More and more people are in the position of caring for an ailing or dying parent, a situation that often stirs up deep emotional sediment. Guerin aptly describes this experience that would be hard to describe unless lived through