CATARACT CITY
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Summer 2014
The unlikely friendship of Duncan Diggs and Owen Stuckey, two boys from very different economic and family circumstances on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, was forged in trauma: when they were twelve years old, they endured a nightmarish abduction at the hands of an alcoholic former professional wrestler whom they once idolized. And though it seems nothing can break their bond, Owen is on a trajectory to escape the city they were born in, while Duncan is headed toward a life on a production line.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Summer 2014
The unlikely friendship of Duncan Diggs and Owen Stuckey, two boys from very different economic and family circumstances on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, was forged in trauma: when they were twelve years old, they endured a nightmarish abduction at the hands of an alcoholic former professional wrestler whom they once idolized. And though it seems nothing can break their bond, Owen is on a trajectory to escape the city they were born in, while Duncan is headed toward a life on a production line. First, though, they must reckon with Edwina—who works with Duncan on the line, and falls for one man and then the other—and love gets in the way. Craig Davidson then takes the reader into a dangerous world of greyhound racing, bare-knuckle boxing, and smuggling operations with an intensity that won’t let go. Cataract City is the rare literary thriller that pays as much attention to plot as it does to character. It’s about an enduring friendship and the magic of childhood before the reality of our world sets in. It’s Jesmyn Ward with a shot of Frank Bill, or Bonnie Jo Campbell with a chaser of Dennis Lehane. It’s a thrilling, gritty, and gripping read that’s full of heart, and once you’ve entered Cataract City, it will haunt you long after you’ve left.
- Graywolf Press
- Paperback
- July 2014
- 416 Pages
- 9781555976743
Buy the Book
$16.00
About Craig Davidson
Craig Davidson is the author of Rust and Bone, which was made into a critically acclaimed film starring Marion Cotillard; Sarah Court; and The Fighter. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and his work has appeared in Esquire, GQ, and the Washington Post. He lives in Toronto.
Praise
“Craig Davidson asks—and answers—some big, uncomfortable questions about the nature of our humanity.”—Irvine Welsh
“A master of boxing and fight scenes, Davidson knows that behind those violent moments lurk the layers of emotion and dysfunction that hold many relationships together.”—BuzzFeed, “15 Highly Anticipated Books from (Mostly) Small Presses”
“An astounding, accomplished book. I truly did not want to leave this world.”—Paul Haggis, Academy Award-winning director of Crash
“Davidson makes Cataract City itself into a character, and brilliantly evokes life in a gritty industrial town. . . . The characters, audacious sweep of the story, and propulsive noir writing make this novel a standout. To live in Cataract City, Duncan observes, is ‘to accept many disappointments’; Davidson’s novel, on the other hand, lives up to its promise.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
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