The Kingdom of Sand

A haunting elegy to sex, loneliness, and the endless need for human connectionA NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE PICKONE OF THE LONDON TIMES' TOP TWENTY-SIX FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEARLA TIMES 5 BEST BOOKS OF 2022BBC CULTURE'S 50 BEST BOOKS OF 2022LONGLIST FOR THE MARK TWAIN AMERICAN VOICE IN LITERATURE AWARDThe Kingdom of Sand is a poignant tale of desire and dread—Andrew Holleran's first new book in sixteen years. The nameless narrator is a gay man who moved to Florida to look after his aging parents during the height of the AIDS epidemic and has found himself unable to leave after their deaths. With gallows humor, he chronicles the indignities of growing old in a small town.At the heart of the novel is his friendship with Earl, whom he met cruising at the local boat ramp. For twenty years, he has been visiting Earl to watch classic films and critique the neighbors. Earl is the only person in town with whom he can truly be himself. Now Earl's health is failing, and our increasingly misanthropic narrator must contend with the fact that once Earl dies, he will be completely alone. He distracts himself with sexual encounters at the video porn store and visits to Walgreens, all while sharing reflections on illness and death that are at once funny and heartbreaking.Holleran's first novel, Dancer from the Dance, is a classic work of gay literature. The Kingdom of Sand displays all of his considerable gifts; it's a stunningly honest exploration of loneliness and the endless need for human connection, especially as we count down our days.