The Heap
The Heap by Sean Adams, published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2021, is a 320-page novel that explores the aftermath of a colossal high-rise housing complex’s collapse. This debut work blends elements of dark fantasy and science fiction, presenting a narrative that follows Orville Anders as he navigates the debris of Los Verticalés in search of his brother, Bernard, a radio DJ who continues to broadcast from beneath the rubble. The story captures the lives affected by the building’s demise and the community that forms around the Heap, offering a unique perspective on urban decay and resilience.
Readers will find a mix of humor and satire as the plot unfolds, revealing themes of conspiracy and the complexities of human connection. As Orville’s nightly conversations with Bernard draw attention, the influence of media and commercialism becomes increasingly apparent, leading to unexpected twists. The novel’s imaginative narrative style invites readers to reflect on the bonds that tie communities together, even in the face of destruction. With its engaging premise and rich character dynamics, The Heap presents a thought-provoking exploration of life in a post-apocalyptic setting.
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A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
Featured on recommended reading lists by the New York Times * New York Post * Library Journal * Thrillist * Locus * USA TODAY
“The first great science fiction novel of 2020. ” –NPR
“As intellectually playful as the best of Thomas Pynchon and as sardonically warm as the best of Kurt Vonnegut. . . A masterful and humane gem of a novel.” –Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
Blending the piercing humor of Alexandra Kleeman and the jagged satire of Black Mirror, an audacious, eerily prescient debut novel that chronicles the rise and fall of a massive high-rise housing complex, and the lives it affected before – and after – its demise.
Standing nearly five hundred stories tall, Los Verticalés once bustled with life and excitement. Now this marvel of modern architecture and nontraditional urban planning has collapsed into a pile of rubble known as the Heap. In exchange for digging gear, a rehabilitated bicycle, and a small living stipend, a vast community of Dig Hands removes debris, trash, and bodies from the building’s mountainous remains, which span twenty acres of unincorporated desert land.
Orville Anders burrows into the bowels of the Heap to find his brother Bernard, the beloved radio DJ of Los Verticalés, who is alive and miraculously broadcasting somewhere under the massive rubble. For months, Orville has lived in a sea of campers that surrounds the Heap, working tirelessly to free Bernard–the only known survivor of the imploded city–whom he speaks to every evening, calling into his radio show.
The brothers’ conversations are a ratings bonanza, and the station’s parent company, Sundial Media, wants to boost its profits by having Orville slyly drop brand names into his nightly talks with Bernard. When Orville refuses, his access to Bernard is suddenly cut off, but strangely, he continues to hear his own voice over the airwaves, casually shilling products as “he” converses with Bernard.
What follows is an imaginative and darkly hilarious story of conspiracy, revenge, and the strange life and death of Los Verticalés that both captures the wonderful weirdness of community and the bonds that tie us together.
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