| Jonathon
Scott Fuqua's “In the Wake of the Boatman”
 Puttnam
Douglas Steward isn’t having an identity crisis—he is one.
To his father Carl, he’s a disappointment, and
has been since the day he came home from the hospital.
To his mother, he’s “Mama’s
Boy,” and
will forever be nothing less and nothing more.
The Army thinks
he’s a hero, having single-handedly
saved his troops from an ambush when they stumble upon a
major, unknown supply line in Vietnam, then exposing
a major Soviet espionage ring in the U.S.
His brother-in-law
Survival, a career military man, thinks Putt’s weak—a
mere cadet—no matter how
high he rises in the Army’s ranks or how much national
celebrityhood he achieves.
Only Milton, Putt’s college
friend and environmental activist, and Putt’s sister
Mary see that something is deeply confused about Puttnam
Steward. Yet neither of them knows that the only time Putt
ever truly feels happy is when he wears a woman’s clothes
and becomes, for a brief, fleeting moment, someone else.
And they don’t
know how much that disgusts him.
Unable to
escape the expectations of the people around him, Putt’s never quite
reached a true understanding of himself. After he pokes a boy’s eye out
with a rock at the age of six, he’s briefly proud for having done what
his father had always taught him—stand up for himself—but his father
responds with unalloyed hate. At 18, Putt proudly escapes Norfolk to study
at the University of Virginia, but a drunken night at an off-campus bar forces
him to question his own sexuality for the first time.
As he drowns in expectations
and disappointments, the matter of who he is—who he truly is—eludes
him. Except for one thing: He’s a freak. He
has to be. It’s the only answer that makes sense.
And
through it all, there’s his relationship with father
Carl, the hobbyist boatman whose creations always find their
way to the bottom of the river. A man who’s
never been close with Putt, Carl feels nothing but disappointment in his son—disappointment
he never feels or expresses about his daughter. Maybe it’s because Carl’s
growing old and weak. Maybe it’s due to his inability to build a boat,
to make his knee work, or to hug his son. Whatever the reason, Carl is certain
that their dreadful disconnect must be Putt’s fault alone.
In
the Wake of the Boatman is a brilliant drama, stirringly
and sensitively told, about the elusiveness of identity. Another
important novel from one of America’s most praised and
accomplished novelists, it’s a masterpiece that won’t
soon be forgotten.
To order “In the Wake of the
Boatman”
Click the button below or to purchase your
book(s) by phone, call Bancroft’s toll-free number at
800-637-7377. If, for some reason, no live person answers,
leave your message in the Voicemail address for “Ordering,”
and someone will respond within 24 hours.
About Jonathon Scott
Fuqua
 Jonathon
Scott Fuqua has written the highly praised
and Alex Award-winning novel, The
Reappearance of Sam Webber, as well
as the critically acclaimed and recently
published book, Gone and Back
Again.
He is also the author
of three much lauded, award-winning young
adult novels: King
of the Pygmies, DARBY, and The
Willoughby Spit Wonder.
For teenagers
and adults, he penned a groundbreaking
graphic novel, In the Shadow of Edgar
Allan Poe.
All of his published books are available
nationally and internationally.
Read
praise for the book.
To order “In the Wake of the
Boatman”
Click the button below or to purchase your
book(s) by phone, call Bancroft’s toll-free number at
800-637-7377. If, for some reason, no live person answers,
leave your message in the Voicemail address for “Ordering,”
and someone will respond within 24 hours.
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