The Agonies

In the tradition of Albert Camus, J. D. Salinger, and Osamu Dazai, the archetype of the savage young man at the precipice returns in Ben Faulkner's hypnotic debut, The Agonies.

Armand Bernal is breaking apart. The trials of youth become a torrential odyssey of dislocation and disorientation. In this bildungsroman for our modern age—an age of collapse—Ben Faulkner has created an unforgettable character wary of work, college, relationships, and the world at large, becoming an unstable young man moving toward an act of terrifying violence. Will he survive the gothic America of The Agonies?
 

Ben Faulkner is a former child actor. He lives in the Midwest. The Agonies is his first novel.
 

"The Agonies burns down the world with its artistry, poetic derangement, and miracles of unexpectedness. Ben Faulkner stands shoulder to shoulder with Denis Johnson and Thomas Bernhard."—BRUCE WAGNER

"I enjoyed this book much more than I enjoy most contemporary books, including most alt-lit books. The author tells a story about a boy recovering from grief, and he invests in actually telling that story. It has the angst and melancholy you'd expect, but it's also suffused with hope. This kid, Armand, has so much life, so much vitality—he so desperately wants to want things—and that liveliness infects his narration, which is oftentimes shockingly insightful and humane. It was a pleasure to spend some time with this voice."—NAOMI KANAKIA, author of The Default World