Listen to a sample
Dwell Here and Prosper
- Author
- Chris Eagle
- Narrator
- Henry Strozier
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 23 May 2023
- Run Time
- 8 hours 38 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Dick, a blunt and bawdy Philly sports fan, finds himself in an assisted living facility following a stroke. Determined to regain his independence, he does daily laps around the grounds with his quad cane. But when recovery never comes, and days swell into years, Dick finds purpose instead by studying his fellow residents, chronicling their odd obsessions and their nasty arguments, their breakdowns, their drunken debaucheries—and yes, even their sexual escapades.
Dwell Here and Prosper is a gritty but heartfelt novel, heavily informed by the author’s father and his experiences in assisted living near Philadelphia in the 90s. With its set of memorable outcasts—a shady jokester who insists he worked for the FBI, a schizophrenic Catholic who roams local cemeteries at night in search of the Virgin Mary, a twenty-six-year-old whose teeth mysteriously fell out, a middle-aged alcoholic who prostitutes herself to other residents for booze and cigarettes—it’s a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for a different generation and a different kind of institution. This timeless book offers a funny yet honest meditation on aging and community, and what it means to thrive in purgatory.
Critics Review
-
“Chris Eagle does an extraordinary job in this book showing the humanity as well as dignity one can maintain amongst daily indignities in some of our nation’s assisted living and rehabilitation centers. One does not feel pity or contempt reading about these vulnerable and complicated characters, but a sense of awe watching people live life on life’s terms. As the narrator of the book (Chris Eagle’s dad, a lifelong Phillies fan) might have said, the author knocks it out of the park.”
Michelle Bowdler, author of Is Rape a Crime?
-
“Eagle’s Dwell Here and Prosper is a pointed and poignant account of the American convalescent home system. Based on his own father’s journals, it offers a rare and deeply moving record of the daily routine in these underfunded institutions. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Eagle describes with wit and a keen eye for detail how the American health care system deals with those who are pitched precariously between homelessness and mental health units. It is a story of one man’s struggle to retain a sense of control even as he realizes his humbling journey of endurance is all he might have left. Not since Kesey or Ernaux has the desperation, brutality, and inevitability of the care home hit home so powerfully.”
Michael O’Sullivan, author of Lockdown Lovers
-
“Pointed and poignant... Not since Kesey or Ernaux has the desperation, brutality, and inevitability of the care home hit home so powerfully.”
Michael O’Sullivan, author of Lockdown Lovers
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Chris Eagle
- Narrator
- Henry Strozier
- Duration
- 8 hours 38 minutes
- Release Date
- 23 May 2023
- ISBN
- 9798212323338
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Fiction: general and literary, Family life fiction
Synopsis
Dick, a blunt and bawdy Philly sports fan, finds himself in an assisted living facility following a stroke. Determined to regain his independence, he does daily laps around the grounds with his quad cane. But when recovery never comes, and days swell into years, Dick finds purpose instead by studying his fellow residents, chronicling their odd obsessions and their nasty arguments, their breakdowns, their drunken debaucheries—and yes, even their sexual escapades.Dwell Here and Prosper is a gritty but heartfelt novel, heavily informed by the author’s father and his experiences in assisted living near Philadelphia in the 90s. With its set of memorable outcasts—a shady jokester who insists he worked for the FBI, a schizophrenic Catholic who roams local cemeteries at night in search of the Virgin Mary, a twenty-six-year-old whose teeth mysteriously fell out, a middle-aged alcoholic who prostitutes herself to other residents for booze and cigarettes—it’s a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for a different generation and a different kind of institution. This timeless book offers a funny yet honest meditation on aging and community, and what it means to thrive in purgatory.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.