About this ebook
**ONE OF POPSUGAR'S “10 BOOKS BY DEBUT AUTHORS TO WATCH IN 2019”**
From a powerful new literary voice, a sweeping epic of one family and the destructive power of the American Dream
All their lives, the children of George Benjamin Hill have fought to escape the shadow of their father, a dust-bowl orphan, self-made millionaire in bedrock American capitalism (fast food and oil), and destroyer of two families on his way to financial success.
Now, they are approaching middle age and ruin: A failed ex–minor league ballplayer, divorced and mourning the death of his daughter in Miami; a self-proclaimed CIA veteran, off his meds and deciphering conspiracies in Manhattan; a Las Vegas showgirl turned old maid of The Strip, trying to stay clean; and an Alaskan bush pilot, twice un-indicted for manslaughter and recently thrown off his land by the federal government.
While their father takes his place at the center of a national scandal, these estranged siblings find themselves drawn from their four corners of the country, compelled along crowded interstates by resentment and confusion, converging on a 300-acre horse ranch outside Omaha for a final confrontation with the father they never had.
Migrating from the suburban anonymity of 1950s San Bernardino, to the frozen end of the world (Alaska circa 1976), and concluding in the background of one of the most horrifying moments in American history, The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill spans seventy years of life in America, from the Great Depression to the age of corporate greed and terrorism. It is a literary suspense novel about the decline and consequence of patriarchal society. It is also an intricate family saga of aspiration and betrayal.
From a powerful new literary voice, a sweeping epic of one family and the destructive power of the American Dream
All their lives, the children of George Benjamin Hill have fought to escape the shadow of their father, a dust-bowl orphan, self-made millionaire in bedrock American capitalism (fast food and oil), and destroyer of two families on his way to financial success.
Now, they are approaching middle age and ruin: A failed ex–minor league ballplayer, divorced and mourning the death of his daughter in Miami; a self-proclaimed CIA veteran, off his meds and deciphering conspiracies in Manhattan; a Las Vegas showgirl turned old maid of The Strip, trying to stay clean; and an Alaskan bush pilot, twice un-indicted for manslaughter and recently thrown off his land by the federal government.
While their father takes his place at the center of a national scandal, these estranged siblings find themselves drawn from their four corners of the country, compelled along crowded interstates by resentment and confusion, converging on a 300-acre horse ranch outside Omaha for a final confrontation with the father they never had.
Migrating from the suburban anonymity of 1950s San Bernardino, to the frozen end of the world (Alaska circa 1976), and concluding in the background of one of the most horrifying moments in American history, The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill spans seventy years of life in America, from the Great Depression to the age of corporate greed and terrorism. It is a literary suspense novel about the decline and consequence of patriarchal society. It is also an intricate family saga of aspiration and betrayal.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
3 reviews
Cathy Geha
- Flag inappropriate
January 8, 2019
The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill by James Charlesworth Dysfunctional family – to put it mildly. I am not sure ANYONE in this story was “normal” or that they had the chance to be so. I am not sure if it was nature or nurture that caused the fractures and issues but boy did this story provide some strange characters with unusual issues and outlooks on life. The fact that most of the people blamed one person for their problems and all that negative happenings in their lives made me wonder why they didn’t accept some of the blame themselves. The story has many characters with one central figure, George Benjamin Hill, that the others were related to. There were two wives and four children all of whom were greatly impacted by that central figure. The story begins with George and how he ended up in California with a few clues provided as to why he became the man he did. It then moves on to his first wife and the children he had with her and how he and those two sons ended up in a larger family with another woman and two more children. From California to Alaska and what happened there and then on to how George’s adult children turned out and what they were up to as they neared the half century mark of their own lives is all part and parcel of this sweeping story. Whether or not the greed of one man, George, is the reason so many lives turned out less than desirable is a question only the reader can decide. This book was a bit disconnected feeling at times with so many people to follow and with their stories unfolding in a non-linear way. Also, tidbits that would have made the story clear and actions more understood by the reader were at times not made apparent till further along in the story. I almost gave up a few times but there was something compelling about the family that kept me reading...only to come to the end wishing many of the people I had read about could have had a different end to their stories. This is not light easy reading and does make the reader think not only about places but about people, motivation, family, mental health, choices one makes and the impact those choices have on self and others. Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing – Arcade for the ARC- This is my honest review. 4 Stars
About the author
James Charlesworth grew up in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and attended college at Penn State in State College, PA.. He is a recipient of the Martin Dibner Fellowship from the Maine Community Foundation and an MFA from Emerson College. He lives north of Boston and is at work on his second book. The Patricide of George Benjamin Hill is his first novel.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
