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Not only did I get to hear Richard Uhlig talk at ESU on Oct. 2, I ran into him again at the Kansas Book Festival last weekend in Wichita. His book wasn’t available at his ESU reading, but I bought a copy on Saturday.
I had the book read by Sunday evening. It was that good.
“Last Dance at the Frosty Queen” kept me entertained on several levels. It’s a good story – keeps you turning the pages. And it’s about life in small-town Kansas.
Uhlig, who grew up in Heringon (and now lives in NYC), says the book is loosely based on his hometown.
He nailed it – life in small-town Kansas in 1988. He captured the essence of a small Kansas town, the texture of it, the sensibilities, the characters, the desperation.
Uhlig wrote the book with adult readers in mind, but it’s being marketed as a young adult novel.
Arty is the 18-year-old protagonist who desperately wants to get the hell out of Dodge (well, in this case, Harker City, the mythical Kansas town Arty lives in.) He’s just waiting for his paycheck and waiting to graduate. Then he’s off.
If it were only that easy.
Because, there’s a beautiful girl he can’t quite catch up with… and his dysfunctional family, the boss who doesn’t pay him, his needy drama teacher and the sheriff who coerces him into dating his daughter.
The novel is written in first person. Arty has problems, but he also has a good sense of humor that comes through in the telling of the story.
I loved the book. And will throw more of it at you in Tuesday’s Flyover People column.
The novel should be available now at the Town Crier in Emporia.
Uhlig is also a screenwriter. He wrote “Viva Los Nowhere” which was renamed “Dead Simple” with Daniel Stern, James Caan, Patricia Richardson.
Kansas runs deep in Uhlig – this movie is set in Kansas (although filmed in Canada). The idea for the story came when he visited Lebanon, Kans. and saw the abandoned motel there – at the geographic center of the U.S.
Coming soon – “Boy Minus Girl,” the second of his two-book deal for Knopf. It’s another young adult novel and also set in the fictional Harker City, Kansas.
Presumably no UK distribution deal – yet at least. But this is exactly the type of book I love to read.
I’ll send you a copy.
Thanks Cheryl!
Wait, though… I keep on discovering new stuff through your site and broadcasts so, who knows, I may be demanding fresh prairie oysters or… who knows…
…I meant, don’t spend $$$ on sending a single book when I’m likely to ask for all sorts of other KS things too!
…tho perhaps the prairie oysters can wait for a while…
OK, make me a list – what kinds of Kansas goodies do you want that will fit into a 11 7/8 inch X 3 3/8 in. X 13 5/8 in. Flat Rate box?
Now, I know you Europeans are all into metrics, but we Americans are adamantly opposed to them, so convert away.
Then tell me what Kansas-ish stuff you want. A Kansas T-shirt? Tell me what size so I don’t have to guess this time.
This book was amazing!
I read it in one night also!
I would love to see a movie made from this book. I think it would do tremendously.
I’m curious, did our English friend ever get his “Last Dance at the Frosty Queen” book or is he still waiting for more books to fit in his box?
I sent the book to Simon way back when, along with some other Kansas treasures. If he read the book, I didn’t get a review.
He is probably out surfing again.