Synopses & Reviews
Now in paperback, The Year of the Zinc Penny is a contemporary classic. Trygve Soren Napoli is a ten-year-old just beginning to realize that he is alone in the world. Certain inescapable quirks tip him off: He cannot stop himself from repeating aloud each of his sentences, even after his stepfather tapes his mouth shut. Strange black hairs grow from the back of his hand. He has a weird name, unlike the other kids in Los Angeles, his new home. Even the cousin he looks up to calls him crazy. He doesnt have a father, but then the country is in the middle of the biggest war ever, and a lot of kids are missing dads. His uncle drinks, and Trygve sees him hit Aunt Ginger, but then it was his uncle who gave him the roll of zinc pennies—and Uncle Gerald is the one who somehow manages to lay hand on the valuable copper wire needed to build an antenna for Trygves shortwave radio, the boys one sure link to the external world.
The Year of the Zinc Penny is a masterful rendering of a young consciousness. From his war-hero daydreams, to his obsession with Bela Lugosis Dracula, to his first encounters with sex and violence, to his disgust and fear at the depravity of the hodgepodge adults in his life,Trygves search for meaning is one of contemporary literatures most compelling.
Synopsis
“Without ever resorting to easy nostalgia or cheap sentimentality, Mr. DeMarinis gives us both a picture of the eternal realities of childhood—the humiliations of playground gamesmanship, the cruelties of puppy love—and a tactile portrait of life in the wartime ’40’s.”—The New York Times
Now in paperback, The Year of the Zinc Penny is a contemporary classic. Trygve Soren Napoli is a 10-year-old just beginning to realize that he is alone in the world. He must replace missing life pieces with what material is at hand; from his war-hero daydreams, to his obsession with Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, to his first encounters with sex and violence, to his disgust and fear at the depravity of the hodgepodge adults in his life, Trygve’s search for meaning is one of literature’s most compelling.
Synopsis
The haunting coming-of-age tale of a lonely kid in southern California growing up during "the last great war."
About the Author
Rick DeMarinis is the author of six novels. The Year of the Zinc Penny was a 1989 New York Times Notable Book, and three previous collections of short fiction. His stories have appeared in Harper's, Antaeus, Story, Epoch, among many others. He teaches creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso.