The national bestselling novel-in-stories of a gender nonconforming teen’s coming of age is as “vivid as a match held close to the face” (New York Times).
The internationally acclaimed short story collection from JT LeRoy, available once more with a new foreword by Jeff Feuerzeig, writer and director of the documentary, Author: The JT LeRoy Story
This book of interconnected stories depicts the chaotic life of a young boy on the run with his teenage mother. When Sarah reclaims Jeremiah from his foster parents, he finds himself catapulted into her world of motels and truck stops, exposed to the abusive, exploitative men she encounters. As he learns to survive in this harrowing environment, Jeremiah also learns to love his mother, even as she descends into drug-fueled madness.
Told in spare, lyrical prose, rich with imagination and dark humor, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things transforms the savagery of Jeremiah's world into an indelible experience of compassion. This special edition includes an additional seven stories, previously uncollected, by JT LeRoy, the literary persona of Laura Albert.
“A startling achievement.” —Publishers Weekly
“Beautifully structured and written.” —Hubert Selby Jr., author of Last Exit to Brooklyn
“Remarkable.” —Booklist
“Strong, fierce, hard . . . Astonishing.”— Kirkus Reviews
“LeRoy writes like Flannery O'Connor tied to the bed and plied with angel dust.” ?Jerry Stahl, author of Perv: A Love Story and Permanent Midnight
“[LeRoy is] a hungry writer with the instincts of a person who fishes to eat. Once he hooks the reader he doesn't let go.” ?Bookforum
“The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things [has] grit, tragedy, and power. The force of the story continues to exist.” —Lit Hub
