Kids These Days
Walter and Alice are expecting their first baby, but their timing is a bit off: Walter, once a successful loan officer, has been unexpectedly downsized. They've had to relocate to Florida so that they can live rent-free--in Alice's deceased aunt's condo. When Alice's brother-in-law Mid offers Walter a job, he literally can't refuse. But what he doesn't know--about the nature of the job, about the depth of Mid's shady dealings, about what he's really supposed to be doing--far outweighs what he does know. And soon enough, things escalate so out of control that Walter is riding shotgun with Mid in a bright yellow Camaro--chased by the police.
Drew Perry paints a landscape of weird and beautiful Florida and its inhabitants--all wholly original and hilarious, and utterly believable. And at the center is a portrait of a father-to-be who is paralyzed by the idea of taking responsibility for another human life when he can't seem to manage his own. Kids These Days takes perfect aim at the two sides of impending fatherhood--abject terror and unconditional love.Earn by promoting books
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Drew Perry
Drew (he/him) lives in Winnipeg, Canada, with his wife Valerie. He worked for many years in child care and social services, and he is also a certified Iyengar yoga teacher. He's had lots of practice reading stories aloud to his children and grandchildren, as well as enjoying writing stories and verse just for the fun of it.
Inspired by recent summer vacations with his grandchildren on the shores of a windy lake, he's enjoyed creating short bedtime stories for children, including this tale about Zephyr and Breeze's efforts to find their own home.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Marilyn Craggs
Marilyn (she/her) lives in Winnipeg with her husband Don. She trained initially in interior design and worked in that field for many years. She's also pursued her lifelong passion for artistic expression, working primarily in oils and acrylics. She is a member of the Manitoba Society of Artists and has participated in their juried exhibitions in which she's been honoured to have received awards.
"Drew Perry, a terrific writer, has written a wonderful book about a man dealing with--among other things--the angst of impending fatherhood. It's sweet, soulful, smart, and funny as hell. A great read." --Dave Barry, author of Insane City
"Drew Perry's Kids These Days is a genuinely funny book. One that will make you guffaw into your gingerbread latte until a stranger at the next table asks, 'What's so funny?' At which point you might--as I did--end up reading pages aloud and making a scene at Starbucks. If you want a novel that serves up its humor in a venti-sized cup, this one's for you." --Fiction Writers Review
"This book is so funny and engaging that I was reading it and forgot to pick up my kids." --Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
"Drew Perry does some amazing things in this wonderfully funny novel, not least of which is the way he so skillfully frames the uncertainty of parenthood against the larger uncertainty of simply living in these strange times. Perry has a generous heart and the talent to both break and rebuild our own. This is an astonishing book." --Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang
"Honest, filled with doubts, often hilarious and just a little bit scary, Kids These Days is sure to appeal to all parents, new and old." --The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Perry's Florida is strange and intricate . . . and Perry's quick-witted observations and surprising plot twists unveil humor in adversity." --Booklist
"There are some madcap elements here that recall the novels of Tim Dorsey or Laurence Shames, but the core story of Walter's family makes the enterprise feel closer to an Alexander Payne jaunt than anything else . . . A funny, frenzied tale of a terrified man plummeting helplessly into his own adulthood." --Kirkus Reviews
"[A] timely look at contemporary America, with its unexpected economic setbacks and the bargains made to surmount them . . . Readers of Nick Hornby, Dave Eggers, and Jonathan Tropper should enjoy this compelling novel, the story of a man in transition that might also lure a few Florida fiction fans as well." --Library Journal
