Calf A Novel
Calf A Novel by Andrea Kleine, published by Catapult on October 13, 2015, is a 368-page work that explores the unsettling intersections of violence and personal trauma. Set against the backdrop of 1981, a year marked by national turmoil and personal tragedy, the narrative intertwines the real-life events surrounding John Hinckley Jr.’s assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan with the fictional story of a young girl grappling with the murder of her friend.
Readers will find a dual narrative that delves into the psychological complexities of its characters, particularly focusing on Hinckley as he becomes fixated on a young actress, alongside the experiences of eleven-year-old Tammy. The novel presents a meditation on the zeitgeist of the ’80s, offering a penetrating character study while addressing themes of violence and its intimate repercussions. With its blend of psychological and historical elements, Calf invites readers to reflect on the darker aspects of human nature and societal context.
Official synopsis Publisher
Part Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and part Taxi Driver, this creepy, unsettling, and absolutely addictive novel is at once a penetrating character study, a meditation on the zeitgeist of the ’80s, and an unflinching depiction of violence, both intimate and sensational.
The year was 1981. The US was entering a deep recession, Russia was our enemy, and John Hinckley, Jr.’s assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan shocked the nation. It was also the year author Andrea Kleine learned her close childhood friend had been violently murdered by her socialite mother, Leslie DeVeau. Both events took place in Washington, DC. Hinckley and DeVeau were both sent to St. Elizabeth’s hospital, guilty by reason of insanity. It was there that they met, and later became lovers.
These two real-life, and ultimately converging events inspired Kleine’s jaw-dropping, spine-tingling novel, CALF. Made up of dual narratives and told over the course of one year, Kleine’s account follows a fictionalized John Hinckley Jr. as he stalks a young actress in the lead-up to the assassination attempt, and eleven-year-old Tammy, whose friend is murdered in her sleep.
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