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Heart of Junk: A Novel
Heart of Junk: A Novel
Heart of Junk: A Novel
Ebook274 pages6 hours

Heart of Junk: A Novel

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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A hilarious debut novel about an eclectic group of merchants at a Kansas antique mall who become implicated in the kidnapping of a local beauty pageant star.

The city of Wichita, Kansas, is wracked with panic over the abduction of toddler pageant princess Lindy Bobo. However, the dealers at The Heart of America Antique Mall are too preoccupied by their own neurotic compulsions to take much notice. Postcards, perfume bottles, Barbies, vinyl records, kitschy neon beer signs—they collect and sell it all.

Rather than focus on Lindy, this colorful cast of characters is consumed by another drama: the impending arrival of Mark and Grant from the famed antiques television show Pickin’ Fortunes, who are planning to film an episode at The Heart of America and secretly may be the last best hope of saving the mall from bankruptcy. Yet the mall and the missing beauty queen have more to do with each other than these vendors might think, and before long, the group sets in motion a series of events that lead to surprising revelations about Lindy’s whereabouts. As the mall becomes implicated in her disappearance, will Mark and Grant be scared away from all of the drama or will they arrive in time to save The Heart of America from going under?

Equally comical and suspenseful, Heart of Junk is also a biting commentary on our current Marie Kondo era. It examines why certain objects resonate with us so deeply, rebukes Kondo’s philosophy of wholesale purging, and argues that “junk” can have great value—connecting us not only to our personal pasts but to our shared human history. As author Luke Geddes writes: “A collection was a record of a life lived, maybe not well or happily but at least with attention and passion. It was autobiography made whole.”
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 21, 2020
ISBN9781982106683
Heart of Junk: A Novel
Author

Luke Geddes

Luke Geddes holds a PhD in comparative literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. Originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, he now lives Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the author of the short story collection I am a Magical Teenage Princess and his writing has appeared in Conjunctions, Mid-American Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Washington Square Review, The Comics Journal, Electric Literature, and elsewhere.

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Rating: 3.5625000625 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

16 ratings2 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This comic novel is set in Fannie Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes-ville, plus riotous snark. The Heart of America junktique mall in Wichita is going under, but salvation may be around the corner with the anticipated arrival of Mark and Grant from the hit TV show Pickin' Fortunes. For a quiet Midwestern city (as seen by a reluctantly transplanted Bostonian as home not to down home neighborliness, but to the "Wichita Scowl"), there's a lot going on here: a missing eight year old, horrible parents and tiresome marriages, insane record collectors, a headless MC Hammer figurine, and a dealer whose Barbie collection holds sway over her every waking minute. The characters, albeit mostly pitiful, are well-developed and there are some excellent plot twists on the way to a most satisfying ending.Quote: "He missed Boston, with its openly rude citizens, always crowded sidewalks, and a vibrant arts culture widely available for him to ignore.""It was easier to stick with the misery you knew than to change course and risk ending up even more miserable."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    And now for something completely different..... I loved the cover of Luke Geddes' new book Heart of Junk - all those little pieces of treasure. Or, depending on your viewpoint, junk.I love flea markets, antique stores, garage sales etc. Geddes has set his book in the fictional Heart of America antique mall in Wichita, Kansas. There's lots of excitement at the mall - Mark and Grant from the tv show Pickin’ Fortunes are rumored to be coming to Heart of America to film an episode. Young Lindy Bobo is also missing - and the vendors decide to help with the search, hopefully finding her and adding that to their television story.Okay, that's the premise - which absolutely hooked me. But, it was the seven characters and their inner thoughts and personal stories that kept me listening to 'just one more chapter'. I thought all of them were really well written - there's a wild range of misfit heading into unraveling happening here. Geddes caught me off guard more than once with a revelation unexpectedly dropped into the narrative. And then the story would veer in a direction that I didn't see coming.But, there's also a look at collecting, hoarding, saving, keeping, selling and finding solace with 'stuff'. Or purging. Honestly, you'll never look at a Barbie Doll the same again.I chose to listen to Heart of Junk. This audiobook features an ensemble of readers. I really like when there is a cast - it makes it easy to know who is 'talking' and makes the book a little more 'real', if you will. The readers were Samantha Desz, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Rebekkah Ross and Jacques Roy - which includes a number of my favorites. The reader chosen for each character was perfect and matched the mental images I had come up with. Each voice was clear and easy to understand. They all captured their piece of the plot well. (Ronald scared me....) I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find I become more immersed in a story by listening.Hear of Junk was a wonderfully fun, quirky, satirical, entertaining novel. It kept me engaged from first page 'til last. You're either going to love it or leave it. This listener loved it.

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Heart of Junk - Luke Geddes

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