An Untamed State

Praise for An Untamed State Longlisted for the 2014 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize "[A] commanding debut . . . Mireille's struggle to maintain a sense of self while being denied her freedom produces the novel's most powerful chapters."--New Yorker "Roxane Gay's riveting debut, An Untamed State, captivates from its opening sentence and doesn't let go. . . . Let this be the year of Roxane Gay: you'll tear through An Untamed State, but ponder it for long after."--Nolan Feeney, Time.com "A fairy tale . . . its complex and fragile moral arrived at through great pain and high cost. . . . Perhaps Haiti, too, is a beautiful princess, well-versed in the vagaries of men, still searching for a happily ever after." --Holly Bass, The New York Times Book Review "Poignant . . . haunting . . . When Mireille is finally freed, her rocky adjustment harkens to that of the mother in Emma Donoghue's Room. . . . Gay writes of her homeland beautifully, describing it in the conflicting, nuanced way that will ring familiar to Americans whose parents hail from troubled lands. . . . Gorgeous writing . . . A wonderful and affecting read."--Rasha Madkour, Associated Press "Gay may be working in territory many American readers know through the lyrical stories of Edwidge Danticat, but her style is wholly her own: direct, bracing and propulsive. . . . [A] smart, searing novel." --Ron Charles, The Washington Post "To say that An Untamed State 'tells the story' of Mireille Duval Jameson - an American lawyer, wife, and new mother, who, while visiting her Haitian parents in Port Au Prince, falls victim to the wave of kidnappings plaguing that city - would be inadequate. Rather, Gay compels her readers to breathe and bleed [it]. . . . Brutally and vividly rendered." --Abby Frucht, The Philadelphia Inquirer "Bold . . . A terrific read. . . . The character development of Gay's protagonist, Mireille, is particularly well-crafted and nuanced; her portrayal of a woman who fights her strongest fight to resist being defeated by her captors is compelling and agonizingly felt by the reader. . . . This novel . . . will reward the reader." --Jim Carmin, Minneapolis Star Tribune "I applaud Gay's courage: She writes candidly, vividly, and necessarily . . . You will find it difficult to resist her flawless pacing [and] sharp, clear prose." --Ariel Gonzalez, The Miami Herald "Set in Haiti, Roxane Gay's first novel, An Untamed State, is a roundhouse kick to notions of privilege." --Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair (Hot Type) "Wrenching . . . Vividly written." --Jennifer Weiner, USA Today "Clear your schedule now! Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down. An Untamed State is a novel of hope intermingled with fear. . . . It is written at a pace that will match your racing heart."--Edwidge Danticat, author of Claire of the Sea Light "A gripping psychological portrait of how trauma remakes the body to respond only to itself . . . Fans of Gay's work as an editor at The Rumpus and a columnist for Salon (among other places) will see a lush, sensual side to her writing here, turned to describe brutal facts of subjugation and punishment, the agony of waiting to be rescued and the protection of the brain." --Ellen Wernecke, The Onion AV Club "Harrowing: truly, it harrows. With iron teeth it pulls up things that do not want to be pulled up. . . . Remarkable." --NPR "Excellent . . . Brilliant, eye opening, and necessary. . . . Gay's prose is direct and muscular, unflinchingly confronting the reality she's created. . . . To call it 'hard to put down' is an understatement; I lost sleep over it, and won't forget it anytime soon." --Alison Hallett, Portland Mercury "[Roxane Gay] has written one of the most unsettling books of the year. And she's just getting started. . . . Dark, gripping . . . It's a c

Roxane Gay's writing has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, NOON, The New York Times Book Review, The Rumpus, Salon, The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy culture blog, and many others including her Tumblr, roxanegay.tumblr.com. She is the co-editor of PANK and essays editor for The Rumpus. She teaches writing at Eastern Illinois University. She tweets at @rgay.