Hick

i read about 6 - 12 novels per month depending on how many authors i need to interview....and then there are those precious moments when i can read a couple of novels for pleasure. i was contacted by the publicist and sent this novel. i agreed to interview andrea, but only skimmed the synopsis of the book before agreeing to the interview since i like to read the book a couple of days before interviews to have it fresh in my mind. the book completely blew me away. i'm so happy i wasn't too cool for school and blew off the interview or i never would've read this book. it's the best novel i've read this year. i don't want to give any storyline away, but the voice of the pubescent female is nailed. flawless. it reads poetic, almost like a song. i finished my novel where the narrator is a pubescent boy, and there were passages in here so amazing i seethed with jealousy for not thinking of them first. do not not read this book. this is a spectacular debut.

I loved this book. It's dark and gives you a lot to think about, even months after finishing it. Portes is a gifted writer and I can't wait to read more. Perfect for book groups--that is, book groups who like darker reads. If you like Virgin Suicides (the book, not the movie), read "Hick."

There probably was a time in the U.S. when parents read books to their kids at night; a time when people really cared about their neighbors and children said their prayers before bed. Luli is America gone wrong personified; hanging in there, but the thread is getting weaker everyday. Hick is the coming of age novel for our twisted times and is a spirited read. Jeffrey Tipton

This is a novel you can't put down. It drives you to follow it even when you can no longer breathe. The resonance of Luli's voice will take you by surprise, the world she describes seen through her eyes darkly yet steely with wit. Luli will set up camp in your heart. A mirror for our times. A tragic, courageous and indomitable pursuit of the America just on the other side.

I'm about to read this black diamond of a novel again. However, my first review stands: James Joyce meets Toni Morrison meets Charles Bukowski meets Dorothy Allison meets Hubert Selby Jr. meets Will Self meets Andrea Portes. They all rumble in a dark alley and something wonderful stalks out.