The Deadening
By Jim Beane
“The book’s muscular straightforward stye and deepening nightmarish tone keeps you in its grip . . . .A powerful depiction of the psychological ravages of war.”
– KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Even though Beane grants limited access to his antihero’s emotional and psychological state, Hickman’s restless and violent actions still give insight into the character and offer an unsparing view of combat trauma.”
– PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
“Jim Beane is a rising star in the East Coast literary scene who now shines his light onto the plains of Middle America and a time in history that foretold many of the problems we all face today.”
– JAMES GRADY, AUTHOR OF SIX DAYS THE CONDOR AND THE SMOKE IN OUR EYES: A NOVEL
“Like John Steinbeck, Jim Beane is drawn to what happens when the cold machinery of society grinds up an individual and spits him out. Harrell Hickman is a compelling creation: part hero, part outlaw. Told in tightly controlled, spellbinding prose, The Deadening is a marvelously wise debut novel.”
K.E SEMMEL, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF LOSMAN
“The Deadening deftly brings alive the life and death of men grasping to recover from the killing fields of World War I. Unrelenting story-telling against a stark setting.”
HARRY JAFFE, CO-AUTHOR OF DREAM CITY: RACE, POWER AND THE DECLINE OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
