Citrus County
First edition hardback cover
AuthorJohn Brandon
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
Published2010, McSweeney's
Media typePrint, e-book, audiobook
Pages224 pages
ISBN1934781533
Preceded byArkansas 
Followed byA Million Heavens 

Citrus County is the second novel by American author John Brandon, following his debut novel Arkansas.[1] It was published on 6 July 2010 through McSweeney's. While writing the book Brandon drew inspiration from several kidnappings in the United States and saw this as a way for the character of Toby to "distinguish himself from the common vandals and shoplifters Citrus County is crawling with."[2]

Synopsis

The book follows Toby, a young man that wants to set himself apart from the other criminals and hoodlums in his area. He's decided to accomplish this by kidnapping the young sister of a schoolmate, Shelby. Toby finds himself drawn to Shelby and the two bond over their mutual dissatisfaction with their lives and community, but Shelby has no way of knowing that he has kidnapped her sister. During all of this their high school geography teacher has been made to coach the school's all-girl basketball team while making plans with Shelby's aunt to murder one of his co-workers.

Reception

Critical reception for Citrus County has been largely positive and the book has received praise from Publishers Weekly, the Sydney Morning Herald and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.[3][4][5] The Tampa Bay Times noted that the book's location worked in its favor, drawing comparison to the 2005 kidnapping and murder of Jessica Lunsford.[6] The Phoenix and the SFGate both highlighted the relationship between Toby and Shelby, which the SFGate felt added additional pressure to the novel's atmosphere.[7][8] Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler also praised the novel, writing that it "subverts countless expectations to conform to our expectations of a very good book."[9]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Wyatt. "Shelf Life: Citrus County by John Brandon". Creative Loafing. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "John Brandon: Florida's dark side in the words of a young cult writer". Vogue Italy. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Flynn, Chris. "Book review: Citrus county". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Betsy. "WU grad John Brandon scores with stunning 'Citrus County'". St. Louis Post‑Dispatch. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Citrus County (review)". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  6. ↑ Bancroft, Collette. "Review: John Brandon's thriller 'Citrus County' has echoes of a real-life local crime". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Groff, Lauren. "'Citrus County,' by John Brandon (review)". SF Gate. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Williamson, Eugenia. "Review: John Brandon's Citrus County". The Phoenix. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  9. ↑ Handler, Daniel. "Innocence Lost". New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Five Young Writers Chosen as Finalists for The New York Public Library's 2011 Young Lions Fiction Award". NYPL. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "2011 Alex Award Nominations List". YALSA. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
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