The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets, Kathleen Alcott
The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets, Kathleen Alcott
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The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets

Author: Kathleen Alcott

Narrator: Carrington MacDuffie

Unabridged: 3 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/18/2012

Synopsis

Ida grew up with Jackson and Jameswhere there was I there was a J. She cant recall a time when she didnt have them around, whether in their early days camping out in the boys room decorated with circus scenes or later as teenagers when they were drinking on rooftops. While the world outside saw them as neighbors and friends, to each other the three formed a family unittwo brothers and a sisternot drawn from blood but from a deep need to fill a void in their single-parent households. Theirs was a relationship of communication without speaking, of understanding without judgment, of intimacy without rules and limits. But as the three mature and emotions become more complex, Ida and Jackson find themselves to be more than just siblings. When Jacksons somnambulism produces violent outbursts and James is hospitalized, Ida is paralyzed by the events that threaten to shatter her family and put it beyond her reach. Kathleen Alcotts striking debut,The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets, is an emotional, deeply layered love story that explores the dynamics of family when it defies bloodlines and societal conventions.

About Kathleen Alcott

Kathleen Alcott is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, including Infinite Home. Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award, her short fiction has also been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2019 and The Best Short Stories 2023: The O. Henry Prize Winners. She has taught at Columbia University and Bennington College, and her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Guardian, Harper's Magazine, and elsewhere.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Grace

Didn't love this. I picked it up after seeing it in the top ad banner at The Rumpus half a million times; didn't know quite what to expect but the blurb sounded intriguing. There are two main problems for me: first, that the book is too writerly - almost too much attention is paid to the constructio......more

Goodreads review by Oriana

Wow. Beautiful and spooky and beautiful and bleak and sad. This, like so many books I read these days, was found on the curb; I knew when I saw it that I'd hear of it somewhere, but I'm unsure where. Good grief, I am so lucky to live somewhere where amazing books practically grow out of cracks in th......more

Goodreads review by Lydia

The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets is a debut novel for Kathleen Alcott - but you wouldn't know it from her writing. This is a complex story about three people: Ida, Jackson, and James. Jackson and James are brothers, and Ida the young girl who grew up with them. The three form a bond as close as fam......more

Goodreads review by Bandit

A great title doesn't necessarily make for a great book, but it does attract attention. The book itself was a story of a family/a love affair, tightly interwoven, told from a perspective of a young woman in her roles as a lover/sister/daughter/friend/etc. The love affair and its repercussions take t......more

Goodreads review by Danielle

Ida grew up next door to James and Jackson. Their lives were intertwined from the very beginning. Jackson and Ida begin a relationship at an early age with James looking on from the sidelines. Their relationship however is not a healthy one and it eventually results in a break of all their friendshi......more

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