Dean Bakopoulos is een auteur wiens proza duikt in het ingewikkelde weefsel van familie, identiteit en de zoektocht naar iemands plaats in de wereld. Zijn schrijven wordt vaak gekenmerkt door een diep gevoel voor plaats en cultuur, wat lezers een levendige en meeslepende ervaring biedt. Bakopoulos verkent thema's als ontheemding, nostalgie en de aanhoudende zoektocht naar verbinding en saamhorigheid. Zijn stilistische benadering is zowel precies als poëtisch, waarbij hij de subtiele nuances van menselijke emoties vastlegt naast bredere maatschappelijke krachten.
The wives are left behind, and with few jobs and fewer opportunities they drink, brawl, sleep around, and gradually make new lives knowing their husbands are never coming back. Shot through with magic and brimming with humanity, it is a novel for anyone who has even been left longing.
The story introduces a relatable character, a heartbroken man navigating life's challenges, reminiscent of Richard Ford's Frank Bascombe. Set against a backdrop of rainy seasons, the narrative explores themes of longing and emotional complexity, capturing the essence of human experience through humor and introspection.
In the sweltering heat of one summer in Grinnell, Iowa, Claire and Don Lowry discover that married life can fall apart seemingly overnight. Don, the town's most successful real-estate agent, is hiding the fact that their home is in foreclosure from his wife, Claire. She has secrets of her own: she's bored, lonely and lusts after Charlie Gulliver, a failed actor who has returned home to sort out his father's affairs. As the summer lingers and the temperature rises, the town's adults grow wilder and more reckless while their children grow increasingly confused. Claire, Don, and their neighbours and friends find themselves on an existential odyssey, exploring the most puzzling quandaries of marriage and maturity. When does a fantasy become infidelity? When does happy routine become boring monotony? Can Claire and Don survive everything that befalls them in this one summer, forgive their mistakes, and begin again? Summerlong is a deft and hilarious exploration of the simmering tensions beneath the surface of a contented marriage that explode in the bedrooms and backyards of a small town over the course of a long, hot summer.