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| Sewanee Writers' Series Publishes Boomtown
Boomtown is the sharp hip tale of New York City dot-commers after the Y2K panic has passed. Internet start-ups are thriving, the stock market is climbing, and the dawn of the new century is just a little too bright for its own good. In this, his second novel, Williams cuts to the core of the optimistic post-millennial psyche by following the lives of Jonathan Scarver, CEO of Allminder.com; Steven Bluestein, a systems analyst bent on revenge against the company; Brad Smith, Allminder's hard-drinking publicity director; and Nicole, a struggling actress hoping for a life that's better than the one she has. These sharply delineated characters cross, and double-cross, throughout the novel, working blindly toward their own justified but surprising rewards. Scarver bets an IPO will skyrocket the value of his stock options, if only he can squelch the news that the company is near bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Bluestein snoops through company e-mail, getting the skinny on his co-workers' bad dealings; Smith downs Cibar margaritas to drown his true desire to write a novel; and Nicole deals with post-breakup depression and a tanking acting career, until, in a series of near misses, lost opportunities, and ensuing chaos, Allminder meets its fate, and Brad and Nicole's orbits nearly collide, spiraling out of control in Manhattan's gravitational pull. National Book Award-winner John Casey calls Boomtown "a funny, smart novel" with a plot that "purrs at top RPM." Claire Messud says Boomtown is "as engrossing as a thriller," and Margot Livesey calls Williams's book "a pleasure from beginning to end." Among the critics, Kirkus reports that "art and affection triumph" in this "amusing, observant tale," and Booklist says that "Williams mixes a sure command of the language with a deliciously wicked plot in this witty, fast-moving send-up of hubris and greed in the Big Apple." Established in 1998, and made possible through the Walter E. Dakin Memorial Fund, the Sewanee Writers' Series is a joint venture between the University of the South and The Overlook Press. |
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The Sewanee Writers' Series is pleased to announce the March 2004 release of its twelfth book, Greg Williams's Boomtown.