Book dossier

Union Atlantic

by Adam Haslett

At the heart of Union Atlantic lies a test of wills between a retired history teacher, Charlotte Graves--who has suddenly begun to hear her two dogs speaking to her in the voices of Cotton Mather and Malcolm X--and an ambitious young banker, Doug Fanning, who is building an ostentatious mansion on what was once Charlotte's family land. Drawn into the conflict is Nate Fuller, a troubled high-school student who stirs powerful emotions in both of them. What emerges is a riveting story of financial power, the defense of tradition, and the distortions of desire these forces create. With remarkable scope and precision, Union Atlantic delivers a striking vision of the violent, anxious world we've come to inhabit.