Motherfuckerland

by Ed Lin

White, New Jersey wastoid Sean Kerry is fresh out of jail, working at a dead-end burger stand on the shore. His Black parole officer, James O'Keefe, has threatened to kill Sean if he gets high again, and ruins O'Keefe's chances for a promotion. At an adjacent hotel, a South Asian couple, the Angrywalls, are seeing their marriage tested by poor business and racist harrassment from the anonymous Dotbusters. When Sean's co-worker disappears, all four of their lives will collide and be changed forever, and asses are going to end up in slings, as they say in Jersey. Part crime, part neorealist, and very funny, Motherfuckerland will leave no reader feeling impartial.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

Ed Lin is a journalist by training and an all-around stand-up kinda guy. He's the author of several books: Waylaid, his literary debut, and his Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown: This Is a Bust, Snakes Can't Run, and One Red Bastard. Lin, who is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. Lin lives in New York with his wife, actress Cindy Cheung.

Reviews

[nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

READING VLOG

The perfect slacker summer book.

Lin proves you don't need much to create an impressionable story. With Clowes-like characters, indie sleaze is truly getting its revival and now, I miss summer jobs, the odd long hours and the waiting for a shift to end to do and make something of my life. I miss the suburbs, the "taco-seasoning" sunsets and the contemplative walks past dusk.

Summer for me always felt like one big gap between reality and dreams, and in its punkish nature, Lin's book reeks of teen spirit and pure nostalgia.

I want to be a kid again and I don't know how. The old playlists aren't working and neither are the old text messages I'm rereading. Not even looking back at my old tumblr is doing any good.

But here, Lin creates the experience of youth, its complications, and the trying ways we itch into the adult world without any real ease. Growing up is a painful experience, and it's not to be forgotten that these adults that surround us are, in parts, growing up with us.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first introduced to Ed Lin's work while I was getting my undergrad degree. A number of years later I got to say hi to him as he tabled at the AWP conference, and it turned out he'd brought a ouija board for us to mess around with. So I was excited to pick up this book, even though it came all the way from freaking Singapore. But I'm glad I got it. This was legitimately entertaining, and a solid story. I don't know anything about living in New Jersey, but the story had me feeling very grounded and present with the narrator, Sean. I felt the heat and smelled the sea salt and funnel cake on the pier. The plot was thrilling, and had nice twists and turns without giving me whiplash or feeling too clever. There was lots of funny dialogue said by serious characters, and although there's plenty of serious stuff to wring your hands over, Motherfuckerland often had me reading sentences twice over and laughing because I just enjoyed them so much. I recommend reading this with someone because it was fun to read aloud.

[Hosho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great yarn from Ed Lin. If you liked Waylaid, you'll like this one too. Lin continues to prove that you don't need anything fantastical or otherworldly -- just a handful of solid characters, a good location for them to get crossways, and both the heart and humor necessary give them all the space they need to screw up and, if they're lucky, also save themselves.

And the physical book itself is gorgeous, well made, by a small press that (despite what the world might tell you about small presses) delivers a top-shelf product, and does so without compromising! You can tell they loved making sure this book got done right. And when you discover a press like this, in a world choked with half-assed pap, man, make it a point to support them! I know I will.

[Ken French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent characters and local color. Reminiscent of his earlier book Waylaid. A great read.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Ed Lin gem and an older work at that.

[Taiyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The missing link between Ed Lin's Waylaid and This Is A Bust. The universe is a little more complete now.