The Testing of Luther Albright
The Testing of Luther Albright is the debut novel of MacKenzie Bezos, published in 2005 by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins.[1]
Author | MacKenzie Bezos |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Novel |
Published | 2005 (Fourth Estate) |
ISBN | 978-0060751425 |
Plot
Luther Albright is a devoted father and a designer of dams, a self-controlled man who believes he can engineer happiness for his family by sheltering them from his own emotions. But when an earthquake shakes his Sacramento home, the world Luther has constructed with such care begins to tilt: his son's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and threatening, his loving wife seems to grow distant, the house he built with his own hands shows its first signs of decay, and a dam of his design comes under investigation for structural flaws exposed by the tremors. Nightmarish connections begin to whisper at Luther from the most innocent of places as debut novelist MacKenzie Bezos tightens her net of psychological suspense around the listener with bravura skill. This is a portrait of an ordinary man who finds himself tested and strives not to be found wanting.
Reception
The book received a generally positive reception, with reviews also criticizing the confusing and uncompelling narrator. The book was widely reviewed, garnering reviews from The New York Times,[2] Publishers Weekly,[3] New Orleans Review,[4] The A.V. Club,[5] Kirkus Reviews,[6] The Independent,[7] and The Seattle Times,[8] among others. The book won a 2006 American Book Award.[9]
References
- Bezos, MacKenzie (2005). The Testing of Luther Albright. Fourth Estate. ISBN 978-0060751425.
- "'The Testing of Luther Albright': Home Improvement?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Fiction Book Review: The Testing of Luther Albright". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "The Testing of Luther Albright - New Orleans Review". New Orleans Review. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "MacKenzie Bezos: The Testing Of Luther Albright". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "Kirkus Review of The Testing of Luther Albright". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "The Testing of Luther Albright by MacKenzie Bezos". The Independent. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ""The Testing of Luther Albright": An unreliable, uncompelling narrator". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- "American Book Award Winners 2006" (PDF). Retrieved February 16, 2019.