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Title details for The Damage Done by Michael Landweber - Wait list

The Damage Done

by Michael Landweber
Anna Caputo
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Imagine a world devoid of violence—a world where fists can't hit, guns don't kill, and bombs can't destroy. In this tantalizing novel of possibility, this has—suddenly and inexplicably—become our new reality. The U.S. president must find a new way to wage war. The Pope ponders whether the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" is still relevant. A dictator takes his own life after realizing that the violence he used to control his people is no longer an option. In the first days after the change, seven people who have experienced violence struggle to adapt to this radical new paradigm: Dab, a bullied middle schooler; Marcus, a high-school student whose brother is the last victim of gun violence in America; Ann, a social worker stuck in an abusive marriage; Richard, a professor whose past makes him expect the worst in the present; Gabriela, who is making a dangerous border crossing into the U.S.; the Empty Shell, a dissident writer waiting to be tortured in a notorious prison; and Julian, a white supremacist plotting a horrific massacre. As their fates intertwine, the promise and perils of this new world begin to take shape. Although violence is no longer possible, mindless cruelty is still alive and well—and those bent on destruction still seek the means to achieve it. For fans of Ben Winters and Sarah Pinsker, this mind-bending and thought-provoking novel pushes the limits of fiction, questioning the violence sewn into our DNA.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 8, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666534382
      • File size: 271277 KB
      • Duration: 09:25:09

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 17, 2022
      What if humans could no longer harm each other? That’s the intriguing premise of the unconvincing latest from Landweber (after The In Between), in which, out of the blue, violence is magically curtailed. Guns will still fire bullets, but if a gun is pointed at another, discharged ammunition just hangs “suspended in the air.” This strange development leads the Pope to consider whether the sixth commandment (“Thou shalt not kill”) is still needed, even though in the absence of an understanding of what exactly has happened, no one has any basis to believe the miracle is permanent. The change is recounted from a variety of perspectives, including that of Dab, a bullied student whose assailant’s fist never connects with Dab’s face because, against the bully’s will, it “unfolded, fingers unfurling like the petals of a flower at dawn.” Serious issues, such as whether an incarcerated murderer should be freed just because he couldn’t kill again, receive short shrift. This thought experiment is a head-scratching oddity. Agent: Stacy Testa, Writers House.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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