You Deserve Nothing - Hardcover

'One of the most engaged reads I've had in years. YOU DESERVE NOTHING is that rare and fearless debut novel that feels like anything but.'

(Alice Sebold, author of THE LOVELY BONES )

'Alexander Maksik's YOU DESERVE NOTHING is a bracing, challenging, enthralling debut.  It is a novel that rings true from first page to last, refusing the false notion of easy choices, inhabiting, rather, the moral maze of lived life.  Here is a gifted writer who understands why the artful telling of a difficult story is a brave and important thing to do.  Read this book.'

(John Burnham Schwartz author of THE COMMONER and RESERVATION ROAD )

'A provocative, constantly surprising, and original novel written with precision and grace. Maksik is unflinching in his exploration of the sexual awakening of the young, and the moral complexity of adulthood. This is a thrilling debut.'

(Susanna Moore author of IN THE CUT and THE BIG GIRLS )

'The best stories are by nature confrontational, implicitly asking readers to assess their own lives and assumptions, asking readers not only what they might do in difficult situations but more so what they are doing daily and what it all means.  By this yardstick, Alexander Maksik's first novel, You Deserve Nothing, is a thoroughly engaging, passionate, and challenging read that finely walks the line between morality and amorality. In a society, and at a time, when individual identity is so closely tied to collective narcissism, Maksik's novel asks what are the true sources of self-worth? And how shall we live?'

(Tom Jenks, editor, Narrative magazine )

'The phrase 'brilliant debut' is much overused in our world, but Alexander Maksik's You Deserve Nothing is truly one of those rarest of creatures, a brilliant debut.  Maksik's superb novel takes on the most fundamental question how are we supposed to live? with a freshness and urgency that are nothing short of masterful.  This is a gorgeous, troubling, unflinching book, as honest and rich a depiction of life's contradictions as I've encountered in many years.' --(Ben Fountain, author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevarra)

Dark, compelling story of an illicit affair between a young teacher and his female student for fans of Donna Tartt.