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David Rhodes is the author of Painting Beyond Walls. As a young man, he worked in fields, hospitals, and factories across Iowa. After receiving an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1971, he published three novels in rapid succession: The Last Fair Deal Going Down (Atlantic/Little, Brown, 1972), The Easter House (Harper & Row, 1974), and Rock Island Line (Harper & Row, 1975). In 1976, a motorcycle accident left him paraplegic. He continued writing, but did not publish again until 2008, with his celebrated novel, Driftless. Several years later, a sequel, Jewelweed, was published to wide acclaim. After another decade, he returns to American letters with this extraordinary novel, his first to be set in the future. David Rhodes lives with his wife, Edna, in Iowa City.
Praise for Painting Beyond Walls Gus is a young research scientist who was raised in the Driftless region of southwest Wisconsin and has spent ten years away in college and working for research labs in Chicago. In a short period of time, he finds out that his job is discontinued, his love relationship is over, and his lease is ending. With all of his possessions in the trunk of a rental car, he returns to Wisconsin in the hopes of planning a new future. Gus is plagued by sexual desires that don't lead to satisfying relationships. He's trying to find answers by studying cell behavior to explain why he doesn't feel whole. He connects with old childhood friends and mentors, adapts a different philosophy, and then one day he discovers his perfect mate. But there's a price to pay if they'll be together, and you'll never see it coming. A cast of memorable characters are presented at a pleasant pace, interspersed with extra details to keep you immersed in the numerous directions that the novel takes. It speaks to family, friendship, community, and an endearing description of what mature love relationships can be. Rhodes was diagnosed with stage-four cancer in the midst of writing this book. The extra time it took to write it, along with the quality of the prose, made for an intriguing and satisfying read. A master storyteller. -Todd Miller, Arcadia Books, Spring Green, WI Praise for David Rhodes 'A new, hitherto unknown novelist swam into my ken,' Floyd Dell wrote in his autobiography more than forty years ago, about a time back further still when Sherwood Anderson pressed a manuscript into his hands. American readers can now enjoy a similar shock of recognition by picking up David Rhodes. -New York Times Book Review One of the best eyes in recent fiction belongs to the novelist David Rhodes. Rhodes' eye, like any fine novelist's, is accurate both about literal detail and about metaphorical equivalencies. The most important point, however, is that nothing in Rhodes' vision is secondhand. -John Gardner, from On Becoming a Novelist A brilliant writer. -Cleveland Plain-Dealer Wildly imaginative. -Saturday Review Rhodes writes with both symphonic grandeur and down-to-earth humility. -Booklist Praise for Jewelweed A generous ode to the spirit's indefatigable longing for love. -Minneapolis Star Tribune A master of nuance, Rhodes picks up on those 'inaudible rhythms' that drive human actions. -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Emits frequent solar flares of surprise and wonder. -Cleveland Plain Dealer An impressive and emotionally gratifying novel. -Library Journal A rhapsodic, many-faceted novel of profound dilemmas, survival, and gratitude. -Booklist Praise for Driftless The best work of fiction to come out of the Midwest in many years. -Chicago Tribune A profound and enduring paean to rural America. Radiant in its prose and deep in its quiet understanding of human needs. -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Each of these stories glimmers. -New Yorker Moves at a stately pace as it offers deep philosophy and meditative asides about life in Words, Wisconsin, in the Driftless zone -- which is to say, about life on earth. -NPR, All Things Considered A symphonic paean to the stillness that can be found in certain areas of the Midwest. The writing in Driftless is beautiful and surprising throughout, and it's this poetic pointillism that originally made Rhodes famous. -Minneapolis Star Tribune Few books have the power to transport the way Driftless does, and it's Rhodes's eye for detail that we have to thank for it. -Time Out Chicago A fast-moving story about small town life with characters that seem to have walked off the pages of Edgar Lee Masters's Spoon River Anthology. -Wall Street Journal Encompassing and incisive, comedic and profound, Driftless is a radiant novel of community and courage. -Booklist, 2008 Editor's Choice (starred) A wry and generous book. Driftless shares a rhythm with the farming community it documents, and its reflective pace is well-suited to characters who are far more comfortable with hard work than words. -Christian Science Monitor, Best Novels of 2008 Rhodes' first novel in over 30 years is set in a rural area of Wisconsin so remote and forgotten that it's left off the map. Most of the residents have chosen to be isolated from the world around them and one another. Nevertheless, their concerns-the meaning of spirituality, family, love, and desire-are global and universal. The characters and their struggles come vibrantly alive. -Library Journal (starred)
