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Little Lazarus is the story of two clairvoyant tortoises who bear witness to centuries of human suffering.
Teenagers Francois and Eleanor are lonely and wild in the small Southern town of Harmony that promises them nothing but more of the same: nothing. They attempt to escape their mundane existence and dysfunctional families but succeed only in finding each other. And that seems to be enough. Until one drunken night driving down a country road changes the course of their lives.
As Francois and Eleanor tell their stories in parallel sections, another larger story unfolds, told through the lives of two tortoises, Lazarus and Little Lazarus. Their respective journeys across continents constitute a tour of the human heart itself in all its manifestations. Their caretakers range from a billionaire intent on achieving immortality, to a series of mute men passing down the same seersucker suit through generations, to a dog named Pony at the end of the world.
With the deep longing of Carson McCullers's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and the narrative lyricism of Robert Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar, New York City writer Michael Bible proves why he's a cult sensation to European readers. Little Lazarus is an unforgettable ballad of devastating love and spectacular sorrow.
"A wildly ambitious novel of lyrical beauty." —The Paris Review
"A little novel of profound wonder." —Southwest Review
"Powerful, moving, heartbreaking. The prose is fantastic, but the heart is what drives this hundred-or-so-page novella." —Independent Book Review
Previous Praise for Michael Bible
"Bible is spot on as he illuminates the patterns of calamity, how they radiate outward." —New York Times
“He's so open, so easy, so fluid, you'll smile with joy turning every page." —Barry Hannah, PEN/Malamud Award-winning author of Airships
"The Ancient Hours is brilliant.” —Bud Smith, author of Teenager
"Bible is a fantastic writer." —Kevin Wilson, New York Times-bestselling author of Nothing to See Here
“If Sophia is any indication, we have a promising new writer here, who, like his main character, might be on a pilgrimage of his own.” —NPR
“One of the most interesting and exciting new novelists in years” —Electric Literature
“Most contemporary fiction makes me wonder why people try to write anymore. Michael Bible helps me remember why.” —Blake Butler, author of Molly
“Michael Bible’s Sophia is a real howl of a book.” —Scott McClanahan, author of The Sarah Book