National Bestseller
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Holland and directed by the Russo Brothers. A young medic returns from deployment in Iraq to two things: the woman he loves, and the opioid crisis
sweeping across the Midwest.
In this “miracle of literary serendipity” (The Washington Post), after finding himself deep in the thrall of heroin addiction, the soldier arrives at what seems like the only logical solution:
robbing banks.
Written by a singularly talented, wildly imaginative debut novelist, Cherry is a bracingly funny and unexpectedly tender work of fiction straight from the dark heart of
America.
A PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FINALIST
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORKER • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY • VULTURE • VOGUE • LIT HUB
An Esquire Magazine Pick of Best Books of 2018 (So Far)
A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
Among shortlisted titles for PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Novel, 2019
National Bestseller
Soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Holland and directed by the Russo Brothers. A young medic returns from deployment in Iraq to two things: the woman he loves, and the opioid crisis
sweeping across the Midwest.
In this “miracle of literary serendipity” (The Washington Post), after finding himself deep in the thrall of heroin addiction, the soldier arrives at what seems like the only logical solution:
robbing banks.
Written by a singularly talented, wildly imaginative debut novelist, Cherry is a bracingly funny and unexpectedly tender work of fiction straight from the dark heart of
America.
A PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FINALIST
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORKER • ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY • VULTURE • VOGUE • LIT HUB
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Cherry is a miracle of literary serendipity, a triumph. . . . [Walker’s] language, relentlessly profane but never angry, simmers at the level of morose disappointment, something like Holden Caulfield Goes to War. . . . His prose echoes Ernest Hemingway’s cadences to powerful effect. . . . Cherry is written without an ounce of self-pity by an author allergic to the meretricious poetry of despair. In these propulsive pages, Walker draws us right into the mind of an ordinary young man beset by his own and his country’s demons. In the end, his only weapon against disintegration is his own devastating candor. —The Washington Post
The rare work of literary fiction by a young American that carries with it nothing of the scent of an MFA program. . . . The voice Walker has fashioned has a lot in common with the one Denis Johnson conjured for his masterpiece Jesus’ Son. . . . A novel of searing beauty. —Vulture
“A singular portrait of the opioid epidemic. . . . [Walker] writes dialogue so musical and realistic you’ll hear it in the air around you. —The New York Times Book Review
“[An] unforgettable mix of doomed and dazzling. . . . There’s a vivid, repulsive truth in the way Walker renders his subjects—a sort of social truth, stripped of morality, which is rare and riveting when it comes to the subjects of opioid addiction, intimate everyday cruelty, and endless, meaningless war. —The New Yorker
One of the summer’s most exciting literary breakthroughs, Cherry is a profane, raw, and harrowingly timely account of the effects of war and the perils of addiction. —Entertainment Weekly
A buzzsaw of a novel. . . . Bracingly original. —The Wall Street Journal
“A raw coming-of-age story in reverse. . . . Cherry touches on some of the darkest chapters of recent American history. —The New York Times
Walker tells the story in a biting staccato, by turns shrewd, heartfelt, and repellent. . . . Cherry's descriptions of Army life are as acerbic and unsparing—and often darkly hilarious—as the boot-camp scenes from Full Metal Jacket. —Mother Jones
“Walker’s raw confessional novel, aptly compared to Jesus’ Son and Reservoir Dogs, is a devastating example of art imitating life. —Esquire, “The Best Books of 2018 (So Far)”
Heavily indebted to the profane blood, guts, bullets, and opiate-strewn absurdities dreamed up by Thomas McGuane, Larry Brown, and Barry Hannah, Cherry tells a story that feels infinitely more real, and undeniably tougher than the rest. —The A.V. Club
With an unforgettable voice, the narrator relates his hellacious military service in Iraq, PTSD, and descent into addiction with desperation and propulsive intensity, sustained by a dark humor and associative structure evocative of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. —The National Book Review
Unsparingly raw and utterly gripping. This is an astonishingly good novel, written by someone who clearly has a gift for storytelling. Walker’s characters, even minor players and walk-ons, are beautifully drawn. His dialogue rings achingly true. . . . A masterpiece. —Booklist (starred review)
Nico Walker’s Cherry is a wrenching, clear-eyed stare-down into the abyss of war, addiction and crime, a dark tumble into scumbaggery, but it’s also deeply humane and truly funny. That is one of the reasons I love it so much: it makes you laugh and ache at the same time, in the manner of the great Denis Johnson. —Dan Chaon, author of Ill Will
After page one, only the faint hearted will manage to put down this brilliant screech from a life of war, crime and addiction, a powerful book that declares the arrival of a real writer who has made art out of anguish. —Thomas McGuane, author of Cloudbursts and Ninety-two in the Shade
“Heartbreaking, unadorned, radically absent of pretense, Cherry is the debut novel America needs now, a letter from the frontlines of opioid addiction and, almost subliminally, a war story. —Lea Carpenter, author of Eleven Days and Red, White, Blue
“I’m so jealous about the writing in Cherry that it makes me sick. Nico Walker has written one of those perfect books in the most outrageous voice that I’ve come across in years. Wild and vulnerable and just talking to you in crystal perfect sentences. In a world of literary fakes and watered-down student voices, Nico Walker is like a new-found oracle of our living, breathing life. The world will call Nico Walker many things: drug addict, soldier, bank robber, and inmate. But they’re all fucking lies. After reading this, you’ll say only one thing: Nico Walker is one of the best writers alive. —Scott McClanahan, author of The Sarah Book and Hill William
“Someone once said there are only two things worth writing about, love and death. Nico Walker may know more about these two subjects than 99.9% of fiction writers working today. Read Cherry instead of the latest piece of fluff—it might be the only time when you truly feel a writer is actually baring their soul to you. —Donald Ray Pollock, author of The Heavenly Table
Harrowing, heartbreaking, and sadly funny. Cherry is a terrific book, a cool book, and Walker’s voice is keen and vigilant and uniquely his own. —Joe Ide, author of IQ and Righteous
Nico Walker is originally from Cleveland. He served as a medic on over 250 missions in Iraq. Currently he has two more years of an eleven-year sentence for bank robbery. Cherry is his
debut novel.
Titles by Author
Details
Details
Format:
Digital Download
Available Formats :
Digital Download
Category:
Fiction/Literary
Publisher:
Random House Audio
Runtime:
8.10
ISBN:
9780525635116
Audience:
Adult
Language:
English
To listen to this title you will need our latest app
Due to publishing rights this title requires DRM and can only be listened to in the Downpour app
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is a copyright protection for digital media. While much of Downpour’s content is DRM free, and allows for usage across platforms, select products on Downpour are required by publishers to have DRM protected files. These products will be playable exclusively on the Downpour.com apps, available for iOS and Android devices.
To listen to this title you will need our latest app
1757057483
1554397220
We use cookies to improve our website and give you the best service possible. By using our website, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn more here.
Members Save Big.
• Monthly membership saves you up to 70%*
• 1 credit/month, buy more credits anytime
• Cancel anytime