Powells’ Staff Pick TITLE 13
TITLE 13 is a Powell’s Staff Pick!
Read what Powells’ staff had to say about Michael A. Ferro’s debut novel
Staff Pick
For a book that started out with a lot of breezy and absurdist humor, Title 13 takes a sharp dive straight into heartbreak and sorrow. Heald is an office cog with a fierce sense of humor, slogging away at the census bureau; he’s half in love with a coworker, somewhat inconvenienced due to a recent security breach, and desperately casting about for some meaning in his small life. When there’s an illness in his family, Heald returns to his childhood home, and things begin to seriously fall apart.
Exploring themes of addiction, loneliness, self-protection, and the facade we present to the world, Title 13 packs a much bigger punch than I originally expected.
The best of authors would be hard-pressed to write such a painful account of a life slipping into alcoholism, but Ferro does a beautiful and wholly devastating job.
Heald’s story carries with it an urgent hope of redemption; it’s intense, but Ferro will hold your hand to the end. Do not miss this gorgeous read. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
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