The Garden of Last Days

A Novel

By: Andre Dubus III

Narrated by: Dan John Miller

One early September night in Florida, a stripper brings her daughter to work. April's usual babysitter is in the hospital, so she decides it's best to have her three-year-old daughter close by, watching children's videos in the office, while she works.

Except that April works at the Puma Club for Men. And tonight she has an unusual client, a foreigner both remote and too personal, and free with his money. Lots of it, all cash. His name is Bassam.

Meanwhile, another man, A. J., has been thrown out of the club for holding hands with his favorite stripper, and he's drunk and angry and lonely.

From these explosive elements comes a relentless, raw, searing, passionate narrative, a big-hearted and painful novel about sex and parenthood and honor and masculinity.

Set in the seamy underside of American life at the moment before the world changed, it juxtaposes lust for domination with hunger for connection, sexual violence with family love. It seizes the listener by the throat with the same psychological tension, depth, and realism that characterized Andre Dubus' number-one best seller - House of Sand and Fog - and has an even greater sense of the dark and anguished places in the human heart.

©2008 Andre Dubus III (P)2008 Brilliance Audio

Sneaks up on you

I had heard this book reviewed on the radio as being one of The Books of the summer. The first third of the book takes place in low end mens club and the life of single mom who is working there. Just when your wondering where this is all going, the different characters are pulled together, making the 2nd half of this book worth listening to. A very good book, of peoples lives, problems and the days leading up to and including 9/11.

Another winner

This is a favorite author of mine, he can really involve me in a character and story line no matter how diverse.I find myself caring about a struggling underachiever as well as a failing widow or a devout Moslem. This story reminded me of Spike Lee's "Do the Right thing" Everyone doing their best and the results vary from devastating to redeeming.

Heartstopping and Unrelenting

This story grabs you at the beginning and doesn't let you go. Characters are real and suffering. Loved it. Great narration too. Will add this author to my favorites.

Interesting but not amazing

I listened to this book because of a glowing review by Stephen King in "Entertainment Weekly" and because the plot summary intrigued me as the story centered around a stripper in Florida and a traumatic event surrounding her 3-yr-old daughter. The plot moved quickly though I'd say it was more character-driven rather than a thriller. It exposed the inner dark secrets of the hearts of the main characters. It was kind of like seeing a car crash through the eyes of six different drivers as they came into a major collision. I worried a little that people who had little knowledge of Islam might get the wrong idea about Muslims from this, but clearly the character I'm referring to was a fanatic and not a representative of main-stream Muslim belief. This was an OK listen, though I wouldn't give it an enthusiastic recommendation.

An enthralling slice of life novel

Here is a lovely book about unlovely people - flawed people, living fairly mundane lives. Ever wonder about the motivation that led a person to make a poor decision with terrible consequences? That is, in part, what this novel explores.

The well-developed characters - from a woman who must bring her child to work when her regular babysitter is hospitalized (it happens to many of us, but in this case, 'work' is a strip club) to a man who honestly believes that what he is about to do as one of the hijackers in the 9/11 terrorist attack is a holy act - are believable if not likable. The multiple storylines are thought-provoking and are, for most of the characters, stories of growth, change and redemption in sometimes surprising ways.

Mr Dubus doesn't overlook detail nor does not dwell on or exploit the horror of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When he writes so intimately from the female perspective, one could forget the author is male. While the character of the terrorist is not a sympathetic character, he is drawn so well that we come to understand that he is a multidimensional human being, capable of love and fear, craving the approval of his family and his spiritual leaders.

The narrator, Dan John Miller, is to be commended. His well-modulated voice conveys just the right amount of emotion without inserting himself into the story. His accents - particularly when he's reading the role of the southern men - are genuine. I plan to sample some of the other books he has narrated.

Edge of the seat

Well... edge of my seat for most of it. End dragged for me and I think the story could have left out Basam and been better. Not as good as Sand and Fog to me but still well worth the credit. Very good narrator too.

Long wait for no payoff

I liked listening to the book until the end. The story was well written and I eagerly anticipated the final revelation of how everything would come together. After such lovely detail and insight into the characters' minds during the first 13 hours of the book, it was a great letdown that the ending was so understated and fast. I felt locked out of the characters' experiences when Dubus shifted to an overview style.

not bad.

although i was a little slow in getting through the beginning of this book i found i was glued to the ending.. really not a bad listen..good characters. made me want to save a stripper..

Excellent read!

I almost didn't download this after reading some of the reviews here, but the premise still sounded interesting so I did and though I rarely submit reviews, thought I should in this case since I thoroughly disagree with those who've said the characters were uninteresting or that the women sounded whiny. I didn't notice any issue with the narrator either. I thought it was a wonderfully woven story, and was immersed right from the beginning. The 9-11 angle didn't overwhelm the rest of the story either, which was one thing I feared. Great listen!

Great book

What did you love best about The Garden of Last Days?

i am only about half way, and find myself looking forward to getting back into the story.

What did you like best about this story?

Characters who are complex, real and you care about what happens to them. A plot that moves along and keeps the listener in suspense.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes