Better Days
In this world heroes don't get parades
by Len Joy
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Sep 14 2018 | Archive Date Aug 03 2020
Hark! New Era Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
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Description
WHEN HIS BOYHOOD FRIEND VANISHES, A MAN WHO HAS COASTED THROUGH LIFE ON THE FADING MEMORY OF HIGH SCHOOL HEROICS, RISKS EVERYTHING TO SAVE HIM.
They had a parade for Darwin Burr years ago when his team won the state title. He's coasted through life on that memory. Still lives in Claxton, Illinois - but the bucolic farm town now simmers with racial tension. He has a cushy job working for his wheeler-dealer boyhood friend, Billy Rourke. He has a country house, a healthy 401k, and still drinks for free at Clarkie's Bar. His wife Daina, who escaped from Latvia and never looked back, disdains Darwin's lack of ambition. She's consumed by her job helping Claxton's underclass and has little time for Darwin or their daughter, Astra.
When Billy arranges for Darwin to assist Astra's high school basketball coach - the mysterious and flirtatious Fariba Pahlavi - Darvin stops coasting. He discovers a passion for coaching. And Fariba.
Just as Darwin is getting back in the game, Billy vanishes, the FBI wants Darwin's help to find him, and Darwin learns his wife's secret past has put her life in jeopardy. Darwin know's Billy's guilty, but he can't betray his friend, and he's falling in love with Fariba, but can't abandon his wife. He has no good choice, no winning shot , and in this world heroes don't get parades.
Advance Praise
2019 SILVER MEDAL - READERS' FAVORITE - SPORTS FICTION FINALIST - ERIC HOFFER AWARD
"A bighearted, wry and tender novel that focuses on love and loyalty."
--FOREWORD REVIEWS
"A character rich skillfully plotted drama."
--KIRKUS REVIEW
"Joy's storytelling prowess is exceptional."
--US REVIEW
"A great read by a writer who just keeps getting better and better."
--Sands Hall, author of the memoir Reclaiming my Decade Lost in Scientology
"Len Joy knows men. No fancy stuff. No mumble jumble interiority. This is Do Something...deal with it. Len Joy is solid Americana."
--Sandra Scofield National Book Award nominee
"Len Joy combines lyrical language, unflinching insight, and a kind of rough-edged masulinity to unique effect. His work is a nuanced study of small town life and deceptive allure of the American dream."
--Abby Geni, author of the novels, The Wildlands and The Lightkeepers
Marketing Plan
BETTER DAYS is being relaunched in May 2020 when the audiobook becomes available on ACX. Our plan is to promote the audio format along with the paperback and ebook format through social media advertising, mainly on Facebook, Amazon and Bookbub.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781717911421 |
| PRICE | $7.40 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Donna S, Reviewer
I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up until 3:30 AM to finish it, and when I was done I was so agitated I couldn't get to sleep for another hour. Any book that's so good that it has to be read in one sitting deserves 5 stars, right? But...but...but...I'm so angry with Darwin Burr, the narrator and main character of the story! And dammit, there are WAY too many unanswered questions for me to give this 5 stars, right?
Without giving away any spoilers, here's why I loved the book: It was well written. The character's narration was interesting, conversational and it let me into his head (although I found that I REALLY didn't want to be there after a while). Darwin is a rather clueless small town guy who works for his best friend since high school, who one day disappears. The disappearance of his friend and the subsequent investigation that follows with the FBI leads Darwin, ever loyal, to make some sketchy decisions that could get him into deep trouble. AND some very stupid decisions that just made me want to throw the book in disgust.
Then there's Daina, Darwin's Latvian wife, a public health nurse, who wants more for Darwin in life than working for his best friend at an auto parts store. Her own job can be dangerous, and the family is drawn into some gang warfare activity that leads Darwin to find out more about his wife than he ever knew.
And there's the lovely Fariba, who, with Darwin, coaches his daughter's high school basketball team. She's Iranian, and there's more to that story as well. No spoilers.
There's a lot going on in this book, and it flip flops back and forth among all the action, but in an interesting and absorbing way. I was hooked.
But...and it's a big but: I hated the ending. There were way too many questions still left unanswered from too many teasers the author had thrown out. Too many unresolved issues. Grrrrr! Frustration!!!
I actually debated just giving this book 3 stars because it was so unfinished, in my opinion. But how could I do that with I book I also thought was so fascinating? I compromised with a generous 4.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hark! New Era Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
