American Delirium, Betina Gonzalez
American Delirium, Betina Gonzalez
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

American Delirium
A Novel

Author: Betina González, Heather Cleary

Narrator: Rebecca Gibel

Unabridged: 7 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/16/2021


Synopsis

First, in a small Midwestern city, the deer population starts attacking people. So Beryl, a feisty senior with a troubled past, decides to take matters into her own hands, training a squad of fellow retirees to hunt the animals down and reclaim their own vitality.

At the same time, a group of protesters decides to abandon the "system" and live in the woods, leaving their children and all responsibility behind. Berenice never thought her mother would join the "dropouts," but she's been gone for several days, and the only clue to what might have happened to her is hidden somewhere in her old notebook.

Vik, a taxidermist at the natural history museum and an immigrant from the Caribbean, is beginning to see the connections between the dropouts, the deer, and the discord. He's not the type to speak up, but when he finds a woman living in his closet, he's forced to get involved. Each of these heartfelt and engrossing characters struggles to see their place in a society full of contradictions, but they ultimately rescue one another in surprising ways.

About Betina González

Betina Gonzalez is the bestselling author of several novels and short story collections, for which she has won several awards, including the prestigious Premio Tusquets. American Delirium is her first book to be published in English. Gonzalez earned her MFA in bilingual creative writing at the University of Texas at El Paso and her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives in Buenos Aires and teaches at the University of Buenos Aires and New York University Buenos Aires.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Clif on December 17, 2024

This novel is a tale of generalized societal disintegration reverberating from echos of the hippie era told through three narrative voices underlaid by efforts to grow a hallucinogenic plant. If the preceding sentence oozes incoherence, that’s my intent. Perhaps the word “delirium” is in the title f......more

Goodreads review by Tina on February 11, 2021

AMERICAN DELIRIUM by Betina González translated by Heather Cleary is so good and funny! This is an intricate novel with a lot going on and I really enjoyed it! There’s three interconnected storylines. Senior citizen, Beryl, begins to train her fellow retirees to hunt deer to stop the deer from attac......more

Goodreads review by Kenya | Reviews May Vary on March 19, 2023

Somewhere between a 3 and 4 stars, to be fair. I’ve been reading this book forever. I’m gonna guess that it’s better if you just get into quickly and read it in a quick span of time. It’s takes getting used to to figure out which narrative you’re moving to and thru (there are three), which previous e......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on February 20, 2021

This is a really fun book that, despite some outlandish plot points, manages to feel grounded and immersive. I recommend going in without much foreknowledge; there's a lot of satisfaction in watching the pieces come together. The three storyline threads braid into each other, dropping just enough hin......more

Goodreads review by Ray L. on February 21, 2022

I am not surprised that this absurdist novel that gets at deeper truths about our consumerist society, family, aging, and individual choices does not get higher ratings. Its interwoven structure with 3 seemingly parallel stories (involving an aging taxidermist, a woman hunting crazed deer, and a gir......more