Publisher's Synopsis
"A Seemingly Unstoppable Dawn" signals the debut of a new voice in fiction reminiscent of Literary Brat Packers Brett Easton Ellis, Jay McInerny, and Tama Janowitz, yet completely fresh, unflinchingly realistic, and entirely of the twenty-first century.
The day after his mother's funeral, Ash hops a Greyhound bus, headed for New York City, though he's not exactly sure why. Maybe it's because his friend, a recreational drug-using cohort known as Veps, is rumored to be living there. Or maybe it's because that's where his father might have run off to when he walked out on the family. Whatever the reason, it's clear to him that he's looking for a new life.
Almost miraculously, Ash finds Veps, who has evolved, grown-the city is his oyster, but it's not a New York many people know about. It's the seedy, sex-and-drug-fueled side that most try to ignore. Ash finds himself on a wild ride he can't slow down, highlighted by Dionysian-inspired sexual encounters and experiments with substances he didn't even know existed. On his surreal journey he also meets people the likes of which no one ever even dreamed of back home, people like the neurotic, man-hating, love-starved Marci, and the Jabba the Hutt-like Boss Denham, who recruits Ash and Veps to handle some sensitive business for him in Amsterdam. It's only when Ash's life finally starts to unravel that he finds himself questioning who he has become....
"Tooma's narrator has a strong, frank, explicit, contemporary no-holds-barred voice in this vivid tale of exploration and coming-of-age in our troubled times."
- Philip Cioffari, author of "Jesusville" and "Catholic Boys"
"An unflinching look at the dark side of New York City from an amazing new talent. I couldn't put it down."
- Evan Marshall, literary agent and author of "City In Shadow"
"Tooma's novel embodies the dirty realist movement without forgiveness, and should be on contemporary American literature syllabi everywhere."
- Diane Whitley Bogard, Professor of English, Austin Community College
