Damnation of Adam Blessing/Alone at Night

by Vin Packer

THE DAMNATION OF ADAM BLESSING

Adam Blessing had been an overweight orphan, a nuisance to those who knew him. Now in his twenties, he has re-created himself as an upscale autograph dealer. But the old wounds run deep. He obsesses about his rich childhood friend, Billy, and begins to drink too much. He chases after Billy's estranged girlfriend, Charity. He antagonizes Dorothy, the woman who cares for him, and deludes himself with dreams of success. All Adam wants is to be respected—whatever it takes. It's time to re-create himself again, only this time he'll need to take more drastic measures.

ALONE AT NIGHT

Slater Burr is happily married to Jenny, half his age and his perfect match. But Slater has a secret. He has gotten away with murder. His first wife, Carrie, wouldn't give him a divorce so he ran her down in cold blood outside the country club. Fortunately young Buzzy Cloward was drunk enough that Slater was able to maneuver him into the car to take the blame. Buzzy went to prison. Now Buzzy is back. And all of Slater's careful plans are beginning to unravel. It's all Slater can do to stay one step ahead of the rumors—and one step ahead of Carrie's sardonic laughter.

298 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2020

About the author

Marijane Meaker (born May 27, 1927) is an American novelist and short story writer in several genres using different pen names. From 1952 to 1969 she wrote twenty mystery and crime novels as Vin Packer, including Spring Fire which is credited with launching the genre of lesbian pulp fiction (although few of Packer's books address homosexuality or feature gay characters). Using her own observations of lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote a series of nonfiction books as Ann Aldrich from 1955 to 1972. In 1972 she switched genres and pen names once more to begin writing for young adults, and became quite successful as M.E. Kerr, producing over 20 novels and winning multiple awards, including the American Library Association's lifetime award for young-adult literature (Edwards Award). She was described by The New York Times Book Review as "one of the grand masters of young adult fiction." As Mary James, she has written four books for younger children.

Regardless of genre or pen name, Meaker's books have in common complex characters that have difficult relationships and complicated problems, who rail against conformity. Meaker said of this approach, "I was a bookworm and a poetry lover. When I think of myself and what I would have liked to have found in books those many years ago, I remember being depressed by all the neatly tied-up, happy-ending stories, the abundance of winners, the themes of winning, solving, finding — when around me it didn't seem that easy. So I write with a different feeling when I write for young adults. I guess I write for myself at that age."