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The Testing of Luther Albright: A Novel Paperback – July 25 2006

by MacKenzie Bezos (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 110 ratings
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“A sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart. A sure-footed excavation into the nuances of everyday terror—the kind that turns devotion into despair, trust into treachery, love into loss. Its pull is irresistible.”  — Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of Song of Solomon

“Quietly absorbing . . . the slow pileup of events takes on unexpected, if mild urgency . . . wholly original and convincing.”  — New York Times Book Review

Luther Albright is a builder of dams, a man whose greatest pride (besides his family) is running his hands over the true planes of the house he built himself and knowing that he’s constructed something that will shield and shelter them from harm.

A relatively minor incident -- an earthquake that shakes his Sacramento home—reveals fault lines and cracks in the facade of his family. His teenage son’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and threatening, his devoted wife more distant, and then a dam of Luther’s design comes under investigation for structural flaws exposed by the tremors. In the midst of his heartbreaking family dissolution, Luther must battle against the need to withhold his emotions and push his family even farther away.

Nightmarish meanings begin to shout at Luther from the most innocent of places as debut novelist MacKenzie Bezos tightens her net of psychological suspense around the reader with bravura skill. In the spirit of Rosellen Brown and Alice McDermott, this is a harrowing portrait of an ordinary man who finds himself tested and strives not to be found wanting.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 25 2006
  4. Dimensions
    1.55 x 13.49 x 20.32 cm
  5. ISBN-10
    0060751428
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0060751425
  7. See all details
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Product description

Review

“Bezos has produced a rarity: a sophisticated novel that breaks and swells the heart….sure-footed…compelling….irresistible.” — Toni Morrison

“In her chilling first novel Bezos puts her hero under the microscope. . . . A masterful debut.” — Jane Hamilton, the prise-winning author of The Book of Ruth and Disobedience

“An affecting portrait of a family whose admirable head has one fatal flaw...A self-assured, distinguished debut.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A nuanced, emotionally charged first novel.” — Booklist

“[An] impressive, quietly powerful debut... Bezos captures the extraordinary in the ordinary, revealing a startling talent for naturalism.” — Publishers Weekly

“Bezos refreshingly resists tying the story up neatly at the end. Quietly heartbreaking...just as real life often is.” — BookPage

“Outstanding. . . . Bezos lays bare the inner life of the repressed American Everyman in [an] exquisite, excruciating portrait.” — Entertainment Weekly

“A memorable debut.” — The Sunday Oregonian

From the Back Cover

Luther Albright is a devoted father and a designer of dams, a self-controlled man who believes he can engineer happiness for his family by sheltering them from his own emotions.

But when an earthquake shakes his Sacramento home, the world Luther has constructed with such care begins to tilt: his son's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and threatening, his loving wife seems to grow distant, the house he built with his own hands shows its first signs of decay, and a dam of his design comes under investigation for structural flaws exposed by the tremors. Nightmarish connections begin to whisper at Luther from the most innocent of places as debut novelist MacKenzie Bezos tightens her net of psychological suspense around the reader with bravura skill. This is a harrowing portrait of an ordinary man who finds himself tested and strives not to be found wanting.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (July 25 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060751428
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060751425
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 240 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.55 x 13.49 x 20.32 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 110 ratings

About the author

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MacKenzie Bezos

MacKenzie Bezos

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MacKenzie Scott is the author of two novels, and the recipient of an American Book Award. She lives in Seattle.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
110 global ratings

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antonio salgado
5.0 out of 5 stars Logra que reflexionemos sobre nuestras propias debilidades
Reviewed in Spain on June 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Explora las profundidades de un ser complejo y mediocre mediante el cuestionamiento permanente de su hijo. Calidez y detalles en la descripción de los personajes. Mezcla de imágenes de alegría, gran tristeza y profundo dolor. Recomiendo mucho su lectura, y felicito a Mackenzie por su obra.
It explores the depths of a complex and mediocre being through the permanent questioning of his son. Warmth and details to describe the characters. Mix of images of joy, great sadness and deep pain. I highly recommend reading it, and congratulate Mackenzie for her work.
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The man from Del Monte
5.0 out of 5 stars THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK OF MODERN TIMES
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
An in depth psychological study of a man too polite to tell the truth. Luther Albright uses a D.I.Y. obsession of intense practicality to continually mask his emotional insecurities. A man who could mend a spaceship with a Swiss Army knife but can never tell his wife he loves her. An intense story about emotional loss and practical resilience. A man who built a house with his bare hands in the belief he would only ever live there alone. Above all this is a story about ordinary life and the intense hang ups which govern our actions. A tale of a family who materially have everything and yet whose insular relationships leave them emotionally bankrupt.
Mackenzie`s style is intense and wordy, her attention to detail is staggering and the emotional constipation highlights how hard she has had to pick Albright`s brain to create such a unique character. Once you enter the rhythm of her work you become aware it has been over edited. There are changes in time and character links which are abrupt and not in keeping with the author`s tone.
In short this is probably the most important book of modern times and totally understated. You could argue it being more influential than Shakespeare or even The Bible. This book single handedly launched the E.Book revolution. This piece of work is the reason why anybody can write a book and reach a ready audience.
Above all let`s forget about the circumstance and point out that Mackenzie studied under eminent author and prize winner Toni Morrison. So yes, this is deadly serious writing from an author who caused "My chest to fill like a flock of birds."
Brilliant!
6 people found this helpful
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Blakely
3.0 out of 5 stars difficult to relate to
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2008
Verified Purchase
first of all, this is not a boring book. the narrator, luther albright, writes with such a sense of impending doom that it seems certain his life will come crashing around him at any moment.

it was very hard for me to relate to luther. he never says what's on his mind, and he constantly struggles to avoid showing any reaction to his son, elliott's, increasingly destructive "tests." the more successful he becomes at hiding his feelings, the more he pushes his family further away.

luther's family life is full of missed opportunities and regrets. if only he had told elliott that his shaved head embarrassed him; if only he had been honest with elliott about what his grandfather was really like and how he struggled to be a different kind of father. luther's wife and son give him chance after chance to be emotionally intimate with them, but his caution prevents him from doing this.

i'm not sure how mackenzie bezos managed to dig so deeply into such a flawed character. i kept asking myself whether she liked luther albright or whether his tale is a warning to the reader.
16 people found this helpful
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Mindo'ermatter
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking Novel of Wishful Thinking
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
Most insightful story of a man, written by a woman! Short but most engaging.

Luther Albright is a calm, clear-headed civil engineer and designer of dams, who tries to manage or design his life and family like another engineering project---logically---but it doesn't work well!

In this her first novel, MacKenzie Bezos skillfully portrays the internal struggles of a pragmatic and highly introverted man, facing the emotional needs of his family amid his own emotional insecurities.

The story begins in 1983, with flashbacks to the late 1950s and 1960s reflecting on Luther's strange relationship with his parents and his early relationship with the woman he meets and marries.

The author's accurate insights into how many men think and perceive the world and people are both astute and eye opening. This first-person narrative by Luther is his reflective introspective of a pivotal few months that tried and shape his life and influenced the actions and feelings of his wife and maturing son. I found this storyline both entertaining and enlightening, a trait of an insightful literary novel.

Each of us is a "work in process," and this well-written book uses eight parts or "books" that focus on the various trials Luther faces at work and with his wife and son. His problem is that no matter how hard he tries, he seems aloof and insensitive to others while blindly perceiving himself the best employee, husband, and father.

This is no suspense or thriller with lost of action. However, it has it's own slow tensions and conflicts that build amid surprising situations as the plot rushes to several unacceptable potential conclusions. It's easy to see Toni Morrison's teaching influences on this new author's character and storyline development.

Given that the author had been married to Jeff Bezos for 10 years when this book was written, I wondered how it might have been influenced by her then husband's engineering and systematic approaches to life. Hmmm?

I enjoyed the Audible narration to the book, finding added enjoyment to my reading experience.

It was a fast and worthwhile read, and I plan to read the author's more recent second novel soon.
13 people found this helpful
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The Rebecca Review
5.0 out of 5 stars A Father's Memories of his Son
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2008
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In "The Testing of Luther Albright," MacKenzie Bezos draws you into the intimacy of Luther Albright's mind. We hear his every thought and experience every nuance. The writing is personal and inviting all while it is occasionally especially revealing. This is a meticulously researched novel with a distinct male voice. MacKenzie Bezos has successfully stepped into Luther Albright's world and writes with a keen sense of observation. She skillfully weaves a subtle suspense into the story and this keeps you reading right to the last page. The story is captivating and has interesting twists and turns that surprise and at times inspires laughter. This is one of the most insightful novels I've ever read and the ending was not what I expected.

~The Rebecca Review
11 people found this helpful
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