The Left and the Lucky

Vlautin (The Horse) delivers a surprisingly uplifting tale of neighbors helping neighbors while eking out a living in Portland, Ore. Connie works nights as a stripper while raising her two sons, Curtis and Russell, neither of whose fathers live with them. Curtis, 15, bullies his undersized eight-year-old brother, who copes by taking long walks by himself. Their neighbor, Eddie, a kindhearted housepainter, makes sure Russell has good, hot meals to eat, and gets to school each day. After Curtis steals and crashes Eddie’s new car, he’s locked up in juvenile detention, and Russell is flooded with relief. Eddie’s caring and patient nature also extends to his painting crew, which includes frustrating but endearing alcoholic Houston, pompous nonstop talker Cordarrel, and a young punk rock guitarist named Donny. Eddie does his best to keep Houston alive and working, if not sober, and to tune out Cordarrel, while new hire Donny tries to prove himself despite dealing with a tooth infection. The author imbues the novel’s gritty setting with radiant light, especially from the perspective of the intrepid Russell, as when he bravely bikes through an industrial wasteland in search of Houston. With genuine affection, Vlautin captures his characters’ humanity and longing, showing, for example, how Russell daydreams about escaping to an island where he can live without fear. Readers will fall in love with this ode to a struggling community. Agent: Leslie Thorne, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (Apr.)