Nick Laurrell

Underneath New Orleans Nick Laurrell

"An explosive debut novel."



"Bizarre, funny, horrifying - a page turner that defies expectation."

"A divisive book sure to turn off as many as it pulls in. But as the title suggests, as you look underneath the surface, what lies in Underneath New Orleans is a soulful and ultimately humane exploration of balancing life and career in even the darkest corners of society."

This is an odd book to place in a genre. It is funny yet it is not a comedy. It is about prostitution though it is not titillating. Terrible things happen but there is no villain. It is probably closest to a coming of age novel. It is a story about a darling person on a darling quest and how the slog between starting something and finishing it affects them. But then, it is in many ways explicitly about how no one ever seems to learn anything. Mostly, it is about trying to make some Goddamned money while not completely losing your soul in America. Yes, more than anything, the genre of Underneath New Orlean is: Trying to Make some Goddamned Money in America Without Losing your Soul.