Happy Baby

'Happy Baby is surely the most intelligent and beautiful book ever written about juvenile detention centers, sadomasochism and drugs . . . Heartbreaking' New York Times Book Review

HAPPY BABY is the story of Theo, once the eponymous happy baby, but later an orphan in foster care and now a grown man living in California. Haunted by memories of neglect, abandonment and abuse, Theo returns to Chicago where he lived as a troubled adolescent, to track down an old girlfriend. Told in reverse order, this is an edgy and powerful novel, chilling in its portrayal of a life slowly yet systematically disintegrating.

'Telling his story backward . . . is a graceful strategy that gives Happy Baby its unique veracity and humane edge. It also allows the narrative to transcend the shocking details of Theo's life, which Elliott reveals in quick verbal jabs that pepper his otherwise tightly wound prose' Village Voice

'Happy Baby is surely the most intelligent and beautiful book ever written about juvenile detention centers, sadomasochism and drugs . . . Heartbreaking' New York Times Book Review

Vorwort
Some stories begin with happy-ever-after . . .

Autorentext
Born in the UK, Stephen Elliott now lives in San Francisco and lectures at Stanford. He was a Ward of the State of Illinois between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. This is his fourth novel.

Klappentext

Some stories begin with happy-ever-after . . .

Zusammenfassung
Some stories begin with happy-ever-after . . .