St. Burl's Obituary

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1997-02-15 Paperback Good Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p.

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1997 Trade paperback Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. Harvest American Writing.

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1996 Trade Paperback Grade: C Catalog: Fiction Contemporary Synopsis: 370 pages. These killings were neat and professional, and Burl had to acknowledge that his appetite was ... largely unaffected. He ran through the local p... Read more Show Less

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Overview

In this “outrageous, superb novel”(Philadelphia Inquirer), an obese, food-obsessed obituary writer witnesses a gangland slaying, which forces him to embark on a rollicking cross-country odyssey that will alter his eating habits, his weight, and, ultimately, his identity.

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Overview

In this “outrageous, superb novel”(Philadelphia Inquirer), an obese, food-obsessed obituary writer witnesses a gangland slaying, which forces him to embark on a rollicking cross-country odyssey that will alter his eating habits, his weight, and, ultimately, his identity.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
PW gave a starred review to this comic story of an erudite epicure on a desperate diet. (Apr.)
Library Journal
Burl Bennett is an overweight obituary writer for a New York paper who stumbles into the aftermath of a mob killing in the restaurant he co-owns with an uncle. Eventually, intimidated by threats against his life, Burl leaves New York and heads out West on a bizarre odyssey. He winds up in Salt Lake City, where his weight continues to increase, until he literally gets stuck in the door of his hotel room. Burl has various adventures as his girth expands and contracts along with his economic status, and he explores every nuance of his own identity and what it means to be fat in contemporary America. The story comes full circle when Burl, having assumed someone else's identity, returns to New York, where he finally faces the issue of who he really is. Akst (Wonder Boy: Barry Minkow-the Kid Who Swindeled Wall Street, Scribner, 1990. o.p.) offers an amusing story; he writes lovingly about food, but Burl is by turns an engaging and repulsive hero. It's hard to predict what kind of audience this quirky novel will attract. Recommended for large fiction collections.-Dean James, Houston Acad. of Medicine/Texas Med. Ctr. Lib.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780156005142
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 2/15/1997
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 384
  • Series: Harvest American Writing Series
  • Product dimensions: 5.28 (w) x 7.96 (h) x 1.02 (d)

Reading Group Guide

1. "What do you think of Burl as the hero of the story? Is he an everyman? Do you think Akst wants the reader to identify with Burl?

2. Burl's weight is the central factor in his life, and perhaps in the book. What is the significance of Burl's weight to his life and to the story?

3. Many of the characters and even inanimate objects in this novel have odd names (Gardenia's, Engel, Chrysalis Motor Lodge, and so on). How does Akst use names to reveal the significance of the characters and places?

4. The epigraph is taken from the book The Pilgrim's Progress, an allegory about a pilgrim, Christian, who flees the City of Destruction with a great weight on his back. What does this tell us about St. Burl's Obituary?

5. Discuss die use of religion and religious metaphor in the book.

6. What does Burl's journey tell us about our culture?

7. Burl goes by several different names during the course of die book. How does Burl's identity change throughout die book? Does the surprise ending change it? Is Burl the same person at the end as he was at the beginning?

8. What did you think of the ending? Do you think Burl will regain his weight? Does it matter at this point?

Copyright © 1997. Published by Harcourt, Inc.

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