Contrary Motion - Hardcover

Praise for "Contrary Motion"
Standing between world-class harpist Matt Grzbc and his dream, a permanent position in a top orchestra, is just about everybody in his life. This brilliant debut novel zigzags across Chicago s neighborhoods, exploring the obsession a striving artist must have for his craft, as he also makes a living and nourishes those near him, especially his eccentric and precocious six-year-old daughter. "Contrary Motion" is a wonderful story beautifully written, hilarious, tortured, and filled with heavenly music. Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award finalist "American Salvage"
Charming . . . The painfully self-aware Matt has a great sense of humor, but his comic insights don t help him much as he faces a confounding array of personal problems. . . . The pleasures of [Andy Mozina s] writing never flag. "Kirkus Reviews"
No portrait of an artist brings alive vulnerability, hilarity, desperation, hipness, absurdity, and painful steadfastness as splendidly as Andy Mozina s "Contrary Motion." A dazzling, unforgettable novel. Mark Wisniewski, author of "Watch Me Go"
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Praise for Andy Mozina
A new and deeply original voice. Ann Patchett
Andy Mozina is able to transport us from hilarity to pathos in a breathtaking, heartbreaking moment. Peter Ho Davies"

[Andy] Mozina s finely detailed, painfully funny novel is a rollicking performance that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. "Booklist "(starred review)
""
Mozina has created a likeable, believable main character, the sort of guy alongside whom you could easily spend hours dissecting life over a couple of beers. It s the first novel for Mozina, . . . and it s sure to leave readers asking for more. Mozina s storytelling is easy and humorous, taking the stuff of everyday life and presenting it in a way that both entertains and draws out emotion. "BookPage"
Standing between world-class harpist Matt Grzbc and his dream, a permanent position in a top orchestra, is just about everybody in his life. This brilliant debut novel zigzags across Chicago s neighborhoods, exploring the obsession a striving artist must have for his craft, as he also makes a living and nourishes those near him, especially his eccentric and precocious six-year-old daughter. "Contrary Motion" is a wonderful story beautifully written, hilarious, tortured, and filled with heavenly music. Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award finalist "American Salvage"
Charming . . . The painfully self-aware Matt has a great sense of humor, but his comic insights don t help him much as he faces a confounding array of personal problems. . . . The pleasures of [Mozina s] writing never flag. "Kirkus Reviews"
No portrait of an artist brings alive vulnerability, hilarity, desperation, hipness, absurdity, and painful steadfastness as splendidly as Andy Mozina s "Contrary Motion." A dazzling, unforgettable novel. Mark Wisniewski, author of "Watch Me Go""

"[Andy] Mozina's finely detailed, painfully funny novel is a rollicking performance that will keep readers on the edge of their seats."--Booklist (starred review)

"Mozina has created a likeable, believable main character, the sort of guy alongside whom you could easily spend hours dissecting life over a couple of beers. It's the first novel for Mozina, . . . and it's sure to leave readers asking for more. Mozina's storytelling is easy and humorous, taking the stuff of everyday life and presenting it in a way that both entertains and draws out emotion."--BookPage

"Standing between world-class harpist Matt Grzbc and his dream, a permanent position in a top orchestra, is just about everybody in his life. This brilliant debut novel zigzags across Chicago's neighborhoods, exploring the obsession a striving artist must have for his craft, as he also makes a living and nourishes those near him, especially his eccentric and precocious six-year-old daughter. Contrary Motion is a wonderful story--beautifully written, hilarious, tortured, and filled with heavenly music."--Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award finalist American Salvage

"Charming . . . The painfully self-aware Matt has a great sense of humor, but his comic insights don't help him much as he faces a confounding array of personal problems. . . . The pleasures of [Mozina's] writing never flag."--Kirkus Reviews

"No portrait of an artist brings alive vulnerability, hilarity, desperation, hipness, absurdity, and painful steadfastness as splendidly as Andy Mozina's Contrary Motion. A dazzling, unforgettable novel."--Mark Wisniewski, author of Watch Me Go

Andy Mozina is a professor of English at Kalamazoo College and the author of the short story collections The Women Were Leaving the Men, which won the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award, and Quality Snacks, which was a finalist for the Flannery O'Connor Prize. His fiction has also appeared in numerous magazines, including Tin House and McSweeney's. He lives in Michigan with his wife and daughter.