Quaspeck (Hardcover)

In the early 1970s, cars are queuing up in gas lines, a crippling recession has set in, and people are calling Vietnam the first war America has lost. In a small town in upstate New York, a controversial resort complex is being planned for Quaspeck Lake, named for the Indians who lived there at a time of conflict with invading settlers. The mountain becomes the setting for new conflicts as Carl, who has been squatting at a house on the lake with his wife and sickly child, becomes threatened with eviction for the development. His father, a laid-off construction worker who has disowned Carl for daft dodging, can end his unemployment by working for the developer--and helping to raze his own son's home. Carl's younger sister, Cee, confused and disenchanted with college, becomes involved with the flamboyant Billy Gizzi, whose dangerous past returns not only to haunt him but also threaten his life. Jason, the third child , rapes his girlfriend on a date and flees to New York City's gay underground, where he is pursued by Cee and Billy. As bulldozers converge upon the lake, Carl is forced to confront his father. In this ambitious, multifaceted family saga, Eric Gabriel Lehman uses keen characterization and tongue-in-cheek wit to bring to life one family's evolving values, as both parents and children struggle with conflict, tragedy and a world of bewildering change.