The Lies Boys Tell

A man with advanced cancer convinces his estranged son to chauffeur him on a desperate journey through the American heartland in Herrin's ( American Baroque ) wise and healing novel, which closes the gaps between generations and between the living and dying. Ed Reece, retired Kentucky salesman, wants to die in the Alabama house where he was born. His son Larry, an ex-radical living in Mexico, is called home, where he defies his mother, Sylvia, who's full of wounded pride; clashes bitterly with younger brother ; and sets off in a van with his dying father, keeping their exact whereabouts secret from the family. Following a circuitous route through Ed's former Midwestern sales territory, the duo visits Larry's lesbian ex-wife and their small son, who accompany them on the rest of their trip. Periodic phone calls home elicit threats from Sylvia to charge Larry with kidnapping. Many quiet epiphanies mark the conclusion of this fine novel, winner of a 1990 Associated Writing Programs Award. (Sept.)