Evison - The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

Praise for The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

With its extremely cinematic plot and collection of quirky scenes, the novel might remind you of Little Miss Sunshine meets Rain Man ... The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is even-keeled, big-hearted, and very funny, and full of hope. Through Ben, missteps are made, and human foibles are exposed. But we also glimpse that distant shore of hard-earned redemption. For that, Evisons novel is worth the voyage. The Boston Globe

Allow me to add my voice to the chorus of praise that has greeted The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving ... Grimly hilarious, and the novel culminates with a classic road trip across the American West. Mr. Evison injects a wonderful amount of feeling into those empty highways and dingy rest stops. The Wall Street Journal

An entertaining picaresque and a moving story of redemption. The New Yorker

Evison is one of the sharpest writers around, and proves it in pretty much every line of this funny, brassy, unflinching tale... Nothing sentimental about this book, just good, honest, punch-to-gut emotion, with amazing adventures and revelations along the way. Youll get your heart broken several times over in this book, and yet, if youre like me, youll end it with a full heart and a heavy sigh, and maybe a smile. How did he do that? Dunno, but Im damn glad he did. Ben Fountain, for The Millions

[An] engaging book... The journey is reckless and wild, infused with the sad rage that makes good comedy great... As this carload of misfits moves east, relationships are broken and forged, and Ben recreates a kind of family. This could be horribly clichd and yet it isnt, because Evison never bows to what we expect from happy endings. Jennifer Gilmore, The New York Times Book Review

Heartbreaking... Evison can be a skillful, compassionate writer who effortlessly evokes a range of characters, from Trevors no-nonsense mother to Bens terminally furious ex... The relationship between Trevor and Ben blossoms into a thing of strange beauty. Jennifer Weiner, NPR.org

[A] funny, moving novel. The New York Times Book Review, Editors Choice

" Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is a journey back to life ... Its moving and funny, and, my God, how refreshing it is to read a story about someone caring for a disabled person that isnt gauzed in sentimentality or bitterness... Evison once worked as a personal care attendant himself, and this novel is dedicated to one of his clients. The experience seems to have taught him just what true caregiving is all about, and that insight along with his plaintive sense of humor had me alternately chuckling and wiping my eyes through much of his book. Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Sly and surprising, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is both a goofy road trip and a mission of atonement. Jonathan Evison has the singular ability to make the heartbreaking seem jaunty. Stewart ONan, author of The Odds: A Love Story

The comic novel may be the hardest work of fiction to pull off well... The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is a showcase of what makes a good one tick: Characters just a touch disconnected from reality, a prevailing sense of lifes absurdity and a handful of rude jokes... Evison proves that some of the best comedy emerges from lives that have jumped the rails. Minneapolis Star Tribune

Luminously moving and very funny. The Rumpus

Evison is a gifted raconteur with a wicked sense of humor and an unflagging empathy for humankind in all its sad, foible-filled magnificence. In The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, his myriad talents are displayed in full bloom. Patrick deWitt, author of The Sisters Brothers

An inspiring tale on lifes surprises and the hearts capacity to mend, filled with a perfect blend of humor and sadness. ExpressMilwaukee.com

A story of heartbreak and healing... This is a novel with a terrific sense of the relationship between comedy and tragedy. The Daily Beast

Evisons third and most stealthily powerful novel... [is] a book so poignant yet improbably funny... [An] adventurous story. Janet Maslin, The New York Times

The wildly beating, ragingly funny heart of Evisons new novel blazes through a landscape of grief, tragedy, and yup, even hope. Dazzlingly told and deeply felt, it nudges us toward an understanding that love is precarious, that disaster can earthquake us, and that caring is always worth the cost. Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You

Evisons first-person narration is warm, funny and inviting... We learn, along with Ben, that while we cant escape tragedy, we shouldnt let that stop us from seeking joy and hope where it can be found. Ill never stop caring, he says, and he invites us to keep caring, too. The Kansas City Star

Really funny... Ben and Trev hit the road, and Caregiving takes off with them... The real point of this excellent adventure is the trip itself. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Any reader who has found caring for others difficult or burdensome or even near impossible will find Ben Benjamins story riveting and hard to put down. BookBrowse, Editors Choice

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is the funniest and most tough-minded novel Ive read in a long time. Jonathan Evison is a great lyrical talent who deserves to be better known, and this is his best novel yet. You owe it to yourself to read it. Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life

Laced with the wit and energy that have become his trademarks, of coursebut along the way it takes an up-close look at tragedy, loss, guilt, and ultimately redemption... The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving immerses you in the trials of its protagonists, turning itself into one of the years least likelybut most successfulpage-turners. CultureMob

Evisons brand of feel-good storytelling comes from lifes trenches, where hope and humor must endure in the face of despair. Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Smart and bittersweet and attuned to the absurdity of life? Evisons book is the literary version of a good grunge song. LA Weekly

Evison manages to find considerable humor in this plaintive story of care giving and receiving... A lively narrative with a poignant core and quirky, lonely characters. Kirkus Reviews

[Evison] can be funny like nobody else, about things few other writers would risk laughing about. The Onion, A.V. Club

Evison has given us a salty-sweet story about absorbing those hits and taking a risk to reach beyond them. What a great ride. The Seattle Times

A cathartic novel that will leave readers breathing a heavy sigh of pleasurable release. Its offensive at times, witty, funny and an excellent example of modern realism... Your eyes will sting from laughter at the dark, unforgiving humor. You wont have any regrets. The Missourian

This book is anything but downbeat. Despite the loss and grief in its souland make no mistake, theyre therethis is a briskly paced, wryly wise and often laugh-out-loud funny road novel with a heart that is warm without being sentimental. Tampa Bay Times

Although the premise of taking a road trip in a handicapped-equipped van with a boy in a wheelchair doesnt usually herald fun and adventure, thats exactly where the story goes. The authors sense of humor and his obvious empathy for others makes this an unusual and entertaining story. The Oklahoman

A zany road trip from grief to grace... [A] sometimes funny, sometimes slapstick, big-hearted novel... We readers want to go along for the ride, to follow the detours and adventures, to encounter new people, and Evisons novel delivers. The Oregonian

Funny, humane and a lot of fun. St. Paul Pioneer Press

Jonathan Evison doesnt write his characters so much as channel them?deeply and with heartbreaking honesty. Ive read few novels that tell their stories with such a successful balance of tenderness and grit. Mark Dunn, author of Ella Minnow Pea