Electricity

By Ray Robinson

Book Overview

Ray Robinson's visceral, ambitious debut novel Electricity is a tour de force portrayal of a heroine you will not soon forget. Thirty-year-old Lily O'Connor lives with epilepsy, uncontrollable surges of electricity that leave her in a constant state of edginess. Prickly, up-front-honest and down-to-earth practical, Lily has learned to make do, to make the most of things, to look after -- and out for -- herself. Then her mother -- whom Lily has not seen for years -- dies, and Lily is drawn back into a world she thought she'd long since left behind. Reunited with her brother, a charismatic poker player, Lily pursues her own high-stakes gamble, leaving for London to track down her other, missing brother Mikey. In the pandemonium of the city, Lily's seizures only intensify. As her journey takes her from her comfort zone, it leads her into the question of what her life is meant to be.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802170358
• ISBN13: 9780802170354
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Brilliant Novel By An Amazing Author

Ray Robinson's "Electricity" is a beautifully crafted novel that takes the reader deep into the head and heart of a compellingly genuine narrator, Lily, who is living with epilepsy. Lily's voice is authentic and direct. Her no-nonsense attitude enables the reader to take a first-hand look at living with epilepsy, without making the disease the center of the narration or plot. Lily is blunt, sometimes almost brutally so, but she is also undeniably honest about her experiences and world. This, combined with her complex and at times conflicting emotions, makes Lily a convincing and completely lovable character. In Lily, and in her (also intriguing) companions, Robinson gracefully treads the fine line between compelling characterization and caricature without falling prey to the temptation to resort to melodrama, stereotype, or self-pity. I loved "Electricity." Ray Robinson has done a brilliant job with his first novel, and I look forward to reading his next novel(s), hopefully soon.