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Miss Me When I'm Gone
Read Philip Stephens's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.
"A lavishly written, vividly imagined, and wholly compelling work of fiction...I was spellbound. Often, in fact, I was in awe."
-Tim O'Brien
After years of indie-label exile, folk singer Cyrus Harper returns to Apogee, Missouri, to tend to his mother. But the musical and haunted world of his past is morphing into just another strip of middle America, corrupted with pawn shops, meth labs, Clear Channel radio, and-if Cyrus's brother has his way-a golfer's paradise. As news of a murderess in the woods confounds the memories of his sister gone missing long ago, this prodigal son is drawn deeper into the cave- riddled realm of stalwarts and misfits he knew in his youth. What he discovers there will change everything.
A phantasmagoric tale of American music set during the crucible of its changing industry, Miss Me When I'm Gone plumbs our storied melodies for their essential purpose-to mine the soul for the longing, the passion, the love and rage that drive us.
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"A lavishly written, vividly imagined, and wholly compelling work of fiction...I was spellbound. Often, in fact, I was in awe."
-Tim O'Brien
After years of indie-label exile, folk singer Cyrus Harper returns to Apogee, Missouri, to tend to his mother. But the musical and haunted world of his past is morphing into just another strip of middle America, corrupted with pawn shops, meth labs, Clear Channel radio, and-if Cyrus's brother has his way-a golfer's paradise. As news of a murderess in the woods confounds the memories of his sister gone missing long ago, this prodigal son is drawn deeper into the cave- riddled realm of stalwarts and misfits he knew in his youth. What he discovers there will change everything.
A phantasmagoric tale of American music set during the crucible of its changing industry, Miss Me When I'm Gone plumbs our storied melodies for their essential purpose-to mine the soul for the longing, the passion, the love and rage that drive us.
Watch a Video
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 24, 2011
I was initially drawn to Philip Stephens's debut novel, Miss Me When I'm Gone, because of the setting--the Ozark region of southern Missouri--and my personal interest in that area. I read a review in the KC Star when I was home visiting my parents early this spring, and the book seemed worth checking out; plus, Stephens lives in KC, so I felt good supporting a "local" author. Miss Me When I'm Gone certainly delivers on the setting--a fictional town called Apogee in the lakes region of the Ozarks--but it does much more, and it does it well.
I read somewhere that Stephens spent ten years on Miss Me When I'm Gone, and the plot reflects this. It's complex, but in a good way, the way only time and multiple revisions can accomplish. At its most basic, the story follows folk singer Cyrus Harper as he comes home to Apogee, Missouri to see to his dying mother. When he was a teenager, Cyrus's sister, and singing partner, Saro, disappeared and was never heard from again. Cyrus is haunted by her disappearance and sees her in the faces of women in the crowd at his shows. Cyrus's brother, Isaac, is a land developer and has plans for the Harper land after their mother dies. The secondary story line follows recently paroled Margaret Bowman who has made her way from California to Missouri to reconcile with her daughter. The dual story lines come together late in the book, but since there is a pretty strong mystery element to the novel, I don't want to give anything else away.
Of the two story lines, I found Margaret's to be a bit tedious at the beginning, but once I got into the book and found the rhythm of each alternating section, I enjoyed both equally. In addition to the Cyrus and Margaret sections, there are four or five short sections narrated by a different character, a mute boy who lives in the woods of Apogee. I know that sounds strange, and it is, but it really works. At first, I didn't know what to make of it, but as the book moves along, his sections begin to make more sense. In a way, he reminds me of Benji in The Sound and the Fury. Actually, the entire novel is reminiscent of Faulkner (I'm positive I'm not the first to make that comparison): Gothic elements, rich, lyric language (Stephens is a published poet), lush setting, etc.; however, that comparison is probably a little too easy for me to fall back on.
A couple other thing worth noting: this novel is full of music - folk song and artist references and anecdotes and lyrics. Though I love music, I'm no musician, and I could see how someone might tire of all the musical stuff. I wasn't bothered by it at all, but I didn't take the time to look up any of the songs or references to see if they were real or if Stephens had made them up. Ultimately, it didn't bother me and I don't think it matters. (I'm pretty sure I read somewhere Stephens wrote a couple of the songs featured in the novel - he's also a musician.) Also, there are a few "supernatural" elements at play here. Normally I don't go for that kind of thing, but Stephens pulls it off in a way that satisfies someone like me - as readers we're never sure if what the character is seeing is real or a product of their booze and drug fueled imagination.
Miss Me When I'm Gone is in the realm of Daniel Woodrell (Winter's Bone), though it is less gritty and the language is more lush and lyrical. I'd say if you like the writing of someone like William Gay or Ron Rash, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this novel.
For more, see my blog: http://thestoryisthecure.blogspot.com/
I read somewhere that Stephens spent ten years on Miss Me When I'm Gone, and the plot reflects this. It's complex, but in a good way, the way only time and multiple revisions can accomplish. At its most basic, the story follows folk singer Cyrus Harper as he comes home to Apogee, Missouri to see to his dying mother. When he was a teenager, Cyrus's sister, and singing partner, Saro, disappeared and was never heard from again. Cyrus is haunted by her disappearance and sees her in the faces of women in the crowd at his shows. Cyrus's brother, Isaac, is a land developer and has plans for the Harper land after their mother dies. The secondary story line follows recently paroled Margaret Bowman who has made her way from California to Missouri to reconcile with her daughter. The dual story lines come together late in the book, but since there is a pretty strong mystery element to the novel, I don't want to give anything else away.
Of the two story lines, I found Margaret's to be a bit tedious at the beginning, but once I got into the book and found the rhythm of each alternating section, I enjoyed both equally. In addition to the Cyrus and Margaret sections, there are four or five short sections narrated by a different character, a mute boy who lives in the woods of Apogee. I know that sounds strange, and it is, but it really works. At first, I didn't know what to make of it, but as the book moves along, his sections begin to make more sense. In a way, he reminds me of Benji in The Sound and the Fury. Actually, the entire novel is reminiscent of Faulkner (I'm positive I'm not the first to make that comparison): Gothic elements, rich, lyric language (Stephens is a published poet), lush setting, etc.; however, that comparison is probably a little too easy for me to fall back on.
A couple other thing worth noting: this novel is full of music - folk song and artist references and anecdotes and lyrics. Though I love music, I'm no musician, and I could see how someone might tire of all the musical stuff. I wasn't bothered by it at all, but I didn't take the time to look up any of the songs or references to see if they were real or if Stephens had made them up. Ultimately, it didn't bother me and I don't think it matters. (I'm pretty sure I read somewhere Stephens wrote a couple of the songs featured in the novel - he's also a musician.) Also, there are a few "supernatural" elements at play here. Normally I don't go for that kind of thing, but Stephens pulls it off in a way that satisfies someone like me - as readers we're never sure if what the character is seeing is real or a product of their booze and drug fueled imagination.
Miss Me When I'm Gone is in the realm of Daniel Woodrell (Winter's Bone), though it is less gritty and the language is more lush and lyrical. I'd say if you like the writing of someone like William Gay or Ron Rash, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this novel.
For more, see my blog: http://thestoryisthecure.blogspot.com/
September 20, 2013
This book was extremely disappointing, and quite frankly a waste of my time. It was clear that a thesaurus was used extensively to bolster "lavishly written" expectations, but the vocabulary just never quite rang true. The story line was difficult to follow, and there seemed to no clear path moving forward or back, and whatever "path" there was quickly disintegrated with frequent insertions of music lyrics that seemed to have no bearing on the plot/story. This style is only artistic when it works, but when it doesn't work, it's glaringly annoying. And, I am still annoyed days after I finished with this book.
February 8, 2012
Summary: penniless drunk musician goes back home to see his dying mother, struggles with mystery of missing sister. Roots music, dysfunctional families, what we'll do to get by, the thin veil between madness and reality, the past is past.
My thoughts: I don't know why, but I lost interest part way through. Perhaps I'm just interested in happy tales these days.
My thoughts: I don't know why, but I lost interest part way through. Perhaps I'm just interested in happy tales these days.
May 11, 2018
Dark, brooding, perhaps even with a bit of gothic romanticism -- I really enjoyed this! It puzzled me that I was cheering for the two main characters all the more with every horrifying action. Nope -- I'm not giving away what those actions are. You'll need to read for yourself. As I reflected on the story in between my times reading it, I realized that I genuinely cared about these people. I could not relate to their actions, but I could relate to their longings and their emotions. Both Cyrus and Margaret were searching for someone they loved tremendously, and their respective journeys were heart-wrenching, and over and again I found myself on their sides when everyone else was against them.
Being a proud native of Missouri, I appreciated the descriptions of our state's various towns and cities, and I found the music of this book complemented the locations very well. Now, music is central to the story, but Philip Stephens created musical tones even with the language characters used, and that was quite a feat for some of them were ghostly figures who appeared when I least expected them. So much of this book was about delusions and memories, and music was able to somehow give meaning to both of these abstractions. I'm going to be looking up some of the songs now.
When I first began reading this about 2 1/2 months ago, I was not able to give as much time and attention I wanted to. For this reason, I put this down and read some shorter - or at least easier - works and self-help books. When I picked this up again three days ago, I reread the first four chapters and then found odd moments every chance I had to read more. I greatly enjoyed this. Though I needed to go back a few times because of the surprises the Stephens gives his readers, I found the twists all the more intriguing. Nope, still not going to give away the twists. Hey, I already let you know ghosts are part of this; that's a bit of a spoiler already.
Being a proud native of Missouri, I appreciated the descriptions of our state's various towns and cities, and I found the music of this book complemented the locations very well. Now, music is central to the story, but Philip Stephens created musical tones even with the language characters used, and that was quite a feat for some of them were ghostly figures who appeared when I least expected them. So much of this book was about delusions and memories, and music was able to somehow give meaning to both of these abstractions. I'm going to be looking up some of the songs now.
When I first began reading this about 2 1/2 months ago, I was not able to give as much time and attention I wanted to. For this reason, I put this down and read some shorter - or at least easier - works and self-help books. When I picked this up again three days ago, I reread the first four chapters and then found odd moments every chance I had to read more. I greatly enjoyed this. Though I needed to go back a few times because of the surprises the Stephens gives his readers, I found the twists all the more intriguing. Nope, still not going to give away the twists. Hey, I already let you know ghosts are part of this; that's a bit of a spoiler already.
February 17, 2011
gritty, "true-to-life", hillbilly semi-saga about a man who returns from so cal back to his family home in the ozarks. the beautiful river has been damned and lake is full of jet skis (one character calls it the big sewer or something like that), all the old folks are dead and their farms have been turned into 2nd homes on 10 acre lots, the main businesses in town are strip clubs and drinking (and meth), love is hard to find, and kind of complicated when found, I LOVE POETS WHO WRITE NOVELS.
james galvin
o paz
bolano
and lots more (how lame i canna remember them)
and now Philip Stephens
james galvin
o paz
bolano
and lots more (how lame i canna remember them)
and now Philip Stephens
April 7, 2011
not a very good read, it looks like there are two stories in one but towards the end you know they dont have anything to do with each other. there were some parts interesting but not enough to make this a good book
July 11, 2011
Strange, and sad. I kept reading it because I hoped something important in the story would be resolved in the end. It wasn't.
January 16, 2018
I literally have no idea what that was about. There was definitely a story there but it got lost in a lot of unnecessary details and attempts at plot twists
February 22, 2013
Not what I expected - literally. I have a habit of NOT reading blurbs since they often reveal too much. However, since I found this book via the e-library (for my Kindle) I thought I should preview something beyond the book cover since no 1st page was readily available.
So my hasty blurb scan had me prepped for a story with a light dusting of the supernatural about how one down-on-his-luck musician is the focal point for explaining, sustaining, & reviving great musical hits of the post-Elvis era in order to save himself, his family, and even put a few things to right in his community. I got most of that right, except for two very key points: a) by & large the music was pre-pre-pre Elvis and b)'reviving' is waaay to uplifting verb for what goes on in this story!
I don't regret reading it. The magical mystery tour of early American Folk was cool, but what a long, strange trip it was.
So my hasty blurb scan had me prepped for a story with a light dusting of the supernatural about how one down-on-his-luck musician is the focal point for explaining, sustaining, & reviving great musical hits of the post-Elvis era in order to save himself, his family, and even put a few things to right in his community. I got most of that right, except for two very key points: a) by & large the music was pre-pre-pre Elvis and b)'reviving' is waaay to uplifting verb for what goes on in this story!
I don't regret reading it. The magical mystery tour of early American Folk was cool, but what a long, strange trip it was.
May 20, 2011
An odd book, tracing two seperate storylines that never really connect. Heavy on atmosphere (definitely one of the book's strengths) and skillfully written but also heavy on Southern Gothic madness, which doesn't quite work. A minor irritation: if one of the main characters is a musician, and you're going to name check fictional songs, please stop at, say, a hundred or so. The absurd amount of made-up song names just grates after a while.
May 20, 2011
I found myself getting lost a lot in the story. If you have zero knowledge/interest of fiddle music, old country music, blues then you either have to skip stuff, get lost and confused (like I did), or simply not read this book. I think if a person had knowledge of that type of music, it would be an easier read and an enjoyable book, it just wasn't for me, but it was still good enough to finish reading it.
December 15, 2015
Solid book--some good moments--but the parallel stories never thematically converged, and I found myself much more interested in the first character than the second character. There were also some moments that were incredibly hard to follow, but without reason. I like a lot of ideas in here, but it fell a little short for me.
January 31, 2014
What a crazy story! Drugs, alcohol, homelessness, mental illness, murder, and rock-a-billy music, this book has it all. The author might have been better advised to stick to one theme. It all takes place in Missouri - I hope the author is not from here and that is why he has included so many silly stereotypes. Entertaining in a "what the heck?!" kind of way.
July 11, 2015
I picked this book up at a paperback sale. It was OK. It wasn't terrible. It was strange, however, and there was little to no resolution at the end, so I found that depressing. Interesting style of writing, as the author goes between characters and writes very differently between them. I liked that.
February 7, 2011
I found the book very hard to follow. It was written by a Missouri author and takes place in the Ozarks. One line I found quotable: "The past lay like land on the far side of a bridge you crossed over many times, until the bridge collapsed and you could not tell which side you were on."
March 21, 2012
Cyrus misses his sister, Saro. Margaret misses her kids. Their paths cross when Cyrus goes home to bury his mom and Margaret kills some kids. This book was OK, but I wouldn't recommend it. It just had no purpose.
July 18, 2014
When I finished the book, I asked myself, "What was that all about?" I felt that Stephens had several book ideas and couldn't decide which to use, so he tossed them all into one book. The result: a strange, wandering, messy novel.
February 20, 2011
Started out strong and than lost me.
June 14, 2012
Trying at times to be Falknerian; i enjoyed it mostly for the Ozark repartee between the characters.
May 9, 2014
not so great
September 20, 2010
very interesting twisty story
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews