Next: A Novel

James Hynes

Mar 2010 · Sold by Reagan Arthur Books

About this ebook

Kevin Quinn is a standard-variety American male: middle-aged, liberal-leaning, self-centered, emotionally damaged, generally determined to avoid both pain and responsibility. As his relationship with his girlfriend approaches a turning point, and his career seems increasingly pointless, he decides to secretly fly to a job interview in Austin, Texas. Aboard the plane, Kevin is simultaneously attracted to the young woman in the seat next to him and panicked by a new wave of terrorism in Europe and the UK. He lands safely with neuroses intact and full of hope that the job, the expansive city, and the girl from the plane might yet be his chance for reinvention. His next eight hours make up this novel, a tour-de-force of mordant humor, brilliant observation, and page-turning storytelling.

Ratings and reviews

The concluding 30 pages redeemed the book, but only to a degree. The nude model of Mrs Dalloway bothered me. The arc's return was deft and I didn't expect that. Next should've had an enormous impact ...

If ever a book was "A Day in the Life," this is it. At first I only wanted to read James Hynes' NEXT because he grew up about 15 miles from where I grew up, although he's about a dozen years younger ...

With only three sections and no chapters, this book is a wall of text. But it's a clever and rather fascinating book. Kevin Quinn is our narrator--really, we spend the book in his head. We spend a day ...

About the author

James Hynes is the author of the novels The Lecturer's Tale, Wild Colonial Boy, the stories Publish & Perish (all New York Times Notable Books of the Year), and the novel Kings of Infinite Space. He lives in Austin, Texas.