Welcome to Higby explained

Welcome to Higby
Author:	Mark Dunn
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Genre:	Comedy
Publisher:	MacAdam/Cage (US) Methuen (UK)
Release Date:	2002 (US), 2004 (UK)
Media Type:	Print & eBook
Pages:	352^[1] or 339^[2]
Isbn:	1-931561-17-6

Welcome to Higby is the ^[3] second novel by Mark Dunn published in 2002 by MacAdam/Cage.^[4] and dedicated to his twin brother Clay.

Plot introduction

The novel concerns the interconnected lives of the inhabitants of Higby, a fictional town in northern Mississippi,^[5] during the Labor Day weekend in 1993.^[6] Five separate story lines are woven together featuring 25 main characters^[1] which include the Revd. Oren Cullen, struggling to cope with the death of his wife and behaviour of his son Clint (who starts the weekend by falling off a water tower) who is drawn to the manageress of the local massage parlour and Talitha Leigh, kidnapped by an extremist vegan cult and renamed 'Blithe'.^[7]

Reception

A review from The Independent says the novel is 'undemanding but often hilarious', 'a cross between John Irving and the Coen brothers'.^[7]
Publishers Weekly describe it as a 'witty and intricate book', 'both laugh-out-loud funny and sweetly touching','Dunn, a playwright, has a wonderful ear for dialogue; his rich and enticing prose, elegant structuring and wonderful attention to the smallest of details make this novel a delight.'^[6]
Leif Enger compared the book to Modern Baptists by James Wilcox and Texasville by Larry McMurtry^[8]

Notes and References

http://www.bookpage.com/0210bp/mark_dunn.html BookPage Interview October 2002: Mark Dunn
Web site: Dunn . Mark . Welcome to Higby (9781931561174): Mark Dunn: Books . Amazon.com . 2011-04-19.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/6536-macadam-cage-introduces-its-inaugural-children--s-series.html MacAdam/Cage Introduces Its Inaugural Children’s Series
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/mark-dunn/welcome-to-higby.htm Fantastic Fiction
http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/news/archive_issues/NCBNewsSummer2005/NCBNewsSummer2005-6.html Summer 2005 NCB News Page 6
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-931561-17-4 Fiction Review: WELCOME TO HIGBY by Mark Dunn
Web site: Paperbacks: We Need to Talk About KevinDr Johnson's WomenWelcome to HigbyDeep SurvivalSelected StoriesEmperors of Dreams - Reviews, Books . The Independent . 2005-03-20 . 2011-04-19.
front flyleaf of 1st UK edition, 2004 publ. Methuen