From the author of the award-winning The Sisters Brothers comes a dark, boozy, and hilarious tale from the LA underworld.
A nameless barman tends a decaying bar in Hollywood and takes notes for a book about his clientele. Initially, he is morbidly amused by watching the regulars roll in and fall into their nightly oblivion, pitying them and their loneliness. In hopes of uncovering their secrets and motives, he establishes tentative friendships with them. He also knocks back pills indiscriminately and treats himself to gallons of Jameson's. But as his tenure at the bar continues, he begins to lose himself, trapped by addiction and indecision. When his wife leaves him, he embarks on a series of squalidly random sexual encounters and a downward spiral of self-damage and irrational violence. To cleanse himself and save his soul, he attempts to escape …
From the author of the award-winning The Sisters Brothers comes a dark, boozy, and hilarious tale from the LA underworld.
A nameless barman tends a decaying bar in Hollywood and takes notes for a book about his clientele. Initially, he is morbidly amused by watching the regulars roll in and fall into their nightly oblivion, pitying them and their loneliness. In hopes of uncovering their secrets and motives, he establishes tentative friendships with them. He also knocks back pills indiscriminately and treats himself to gallons of Jameson's. But as his tenure at the bar continues, he begins to lose himself, trapped by addiction and indecision. When his wife leaves him, he embarks on a series of squalidly random sexual encounters and a downward spiral of self-damage and irrational violence. To cleanse himself and save his soul, he attempts to escape …
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Apr 21, 2012 |
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| Written By |
PATRICK DEWITT is the author of Ablutions, The Sisters Brothers, Undermajordomo Minor, French Exit, and The Librarianist. His sixth novel, Dodge City, will be released in late 2026. Born in British Columbia, Canada, he currently lives in Portland, Oregon. |
| Written By |
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PATRICK DEWITT is the author of Ablutions, The Sisters Brothers, Undermajordomo Minor, French Exit, and The Librarianist. His sixth novel, Dodge City, will be released in late 2026. Born in British Columbia, Canada, he currently lives in Portland, Oregon. |
“[Patrick deWitt] has an ear for cadence and an eye for detail ... Ablutions doesn't glorify alcoholism, but nor does it present a moral, skilfully dodging the traps it sets itself.” — Anthony Cummins, Guardian
“... Ablutions is a seedy, boozy haiku. Reed thin, yet razor-sharp and as muscular as can be. This earliest deWitt is brilliant.” — Aaron Blanton, January Magazine
“Dark, booze-ridden and utterly fascinating.” — Andrew Armitige, The Sun Times