Census - Paperback

by Jesse Ball (Author)

NAMED A RECOMMENDED BOOK OF 2018 BY

The New York Times - The Chicago Reader - Nylon - The Boston Globe - The Huffington Post - The Rumpus - The AV Club - Southern Living - The Millions - Buzzfeed - Esquire - Publishers Weekly

A powerful and moving new novel from an award-winning, acclaimed author: in the wake of a devastating revelation, a father and son journey north across a tapestry of towns

When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn't have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son--a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.

Traveling into the country, through towns named only by ascending letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome them into their homes, others who bear the physical brand of past censuses on their ribs are wary of their presence. When they press toward the edges of civilization, the landscape grows wilder, and the towns grow farther apart and more blighted by industrial decay. As they approach "Z," the man must confront a series of questions: What is the purpose of the census? Is he complicit in its mission? And just how will he learn to say good-bye to his son?

Mysterious and evocative, Census is a novel about free will, grief, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love, from one of our most captivating young writers.

Front Jacket

When a widower learns that he doesn't have long to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son, who has Down syndrome. With a desire to see the country on one last trip with his son, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau.

Traveling farther into the country, through towns named by letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome the pair into their homes, others are wary of their presence. As they approach Z, the man must ask: What is the purpose of the census? And just how will he learn to say goodbye to his son?

Wrenching and beautiful, Census is a novel about free will, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love. It is also an indictment of the cruelties of our society by a major writer.

Back Jacket

When a widower learns that he doesn't have long to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son, who has Down syndrome. With a desire to see the country on one last trip with his son, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau.

Traveling farther into the country, through towns named by letters of the alphabet, the man and his son encounter a wide range of human experience. While some townspeople welcome the pair into their homes, others are wary of their presence. As they approach Z, the man must ask: What is the purpose of the census? And just how will he learn to say goodbye to his son?

Wrenching and beautiful, Census is a novel about free will, the power of memory, and the ferocity of parental love. It is also an indictment of the cruelties of our society by a major writer.