How Lucky

Books | Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth

3.7

(922)

Will Leitch

2022 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel“A fantastic novel. . . . You are going to like this a lot.”—Stephen King“What’s more thrilling than a fictional character speaking to us in a voice we haven’t heard before, a voice so authentic and immediate—think Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield, Mattie Ross—that we suspect it must’ve been there all along, that we somehow managed to miss it? Daniel, the protagonist of Will Leitch’s smart, funny, heartbreaking new novel How Lucky, is just such a voice, and I’m not sure it will ever completely leave my head, or that I want it to.”—Richard RussoFor readers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Nothing to See Here, a first novel as suspenseful and funny as it is moving, the unforgettable story of a fiercely resilient young man living with a physical disability, and his efforts to solve a mystery unfolding right outside his door. Daniel leads a rich life in the university town of Athens, Georgia. He’s got a couple close friends, a steady paycheck working for a regional airline, and of course, for a few glorious days each Fall, college football tailgates. He considers himself to be a mostly lucky guy—despite the fact that he’s suffered from a debilitating disease since he was a small child, one that has left him unable to speak or to move without a wheelchair. Largely confined to his home, Daniel spends the hours he’s not online communicating with irate air travelers observing his neighborhood from his front porch. One young woman passes by so frequently that spotting her out the window has almost become part of his daily routine. Until the day he’s almost sure he sees her being kidnapped...

Mystery

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More Details:

Author

Will Leitch

Pages

304

Publisher

HarperCollins

Published Date

2021-05-11

ISBN

0063073064 9780063073067

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"This is definitely a more character driven story than one lead by a suspenseful plot. The main character has SMA, which I know quite a bit about. The biggest take away from it is how he lives his life to his fullest and sees things in such an optimistic way, while recognizing the negatives in his life. "

Katie Harrison

"It was okay. Honestly, it was hard to get past all of the author’s personal political views that are over-mentioned through the main character, Daniel. Besides that and a pretty slow beginning, the novel is refreshing. It was fun to read from a character’s POV that has SMA, a disease that has bound him to a wheelchair. I appreciated the amount of optimism that Daniel created in his relationships and his everyday. It will certainly become a “bookclub” book that allows people to read new perspectives. I liked the concept, plot, and characters, but it could have done without the virtue signaling. 3/5 stars. "

Olivia Denning

"Once I started this book I didn’t want to put it down. I love that it takes place in Athens, GA and that the main character/hero Daniel is disabled and so lovable. The plot had me hooked from the beginning, and I loved Travis and Marjani and their personalities. What a great message on seizing the day and that anyone can be a hero! #wholesome #humorous #inspiring"

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Emily Elmendorf

"Not your typical book. This book combined mystery, humor, friendship, and self-discovery. The characters were diverse and uniquely written. This novel is a feel-good read that also kept me guessing. "

Kendall Street

"The story took too long to get to a climax. I was bored until page 220/280"

Keyah Strop

"I loved this book so much! "

Lex O'Connor

"This is a thriller, but it’s so much more than that. Leitch beautifully brought a man with a disability to life, and shows us that even if you can’t walk, even if you can’t communicate, you can love, be loved, and make a difference in the world. "