The Floodmakers

New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2004. CI3 - An uncorrected proof paperback book SIGNED by Mylene Dressler on the title page in very good condition that has some bumped corners, some scattered light stains, light discoloration and shelf wear. 8.25"x5.25", 176 pages. Satisfaction Guaranteed. If every family has its drama, then the Buelles are enjoying a good, long run. Harry Buelle - the son of a famous, and famously demanding, southern playwright - awakes confused one morning in his bathtub. His stepmother phones him, complaining that his father has stopped taking his heart medicine. Harry has never heard her sound so tired, and with his own life in shambles he agrees to join his parents - and his sister Sarah and her ambitious, much younger husband - at their southern beach house retreat. At first the plan for the weekend is simply to finish the documentary Sarah has been making of their father's brilliant life and career - but their father is instead preoccupied with a wounded bird that has flown inexplicable into the house. The young filmmakers have brough a hefty supply of emotional ammunition along with their blank tape, and soon all the good-natured familial ribbing leads to uncomfortable sparring, goading, and manipulation - rubbing raw old wounds and tearing away at long-held, secret compromises. Mylène Dressler's previous novel, The Deadwood Beetle, was heralded as "haunting, demanding, and perfect," by The Christina Science Monitor, and as "splendid" by The New York Times. Now, with that same sense of poetry and precision, The Floodmakers delivers a unique, almost theatrical narrative - yet never once sacrifices the humor or humanity of its characters. Reminiscent of the plays of Tennessee Williams, The Floodmakers is the penetrating observation of a family struggling for survival in close quarters and of the dizzying tensions that boil beneath the surface.. Signed by Author. Paperback. Very Good/No Jacket as Issued. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Advance Reading Copy (ARC).