55°F
weather icon Clear

Getting lucky

   “My name is Perry L. Crandall and I am not retarded. … I am thirty-two years old and I am not retarded. You
have to have an IQ number less than 75 to be retarded. I read that in Reader’s Digest. I am not. Mine is 76.”

   So begins Patricia Wood’s novel “Lottery,” coming out in paperback on June 8.
   In “Lottery,” Wood has crafted a lovable character in Perry, or Per as his friends call him. His dad is on the lam and his mother and brothers abandon him because of his disability. He is raised by his beloved grandparents, and after Gramps dies, it’s just him and smart-mouthed Gram. They have their routine: buying lottery tickets and eating at KFC. “Goddamn it, Perry! You’d think they raised chickens with nothing but six flappers and an ass, the way they pack those boxes.”
  Perry is obsessive about learning new words and not being rude. He loves his job at Holsted’s Marine Supply. He has good friends in his co-worker Keith, boss Gary, and Cherry, who works at the Handy Mart. He says he’s lucky, and that proves true when he wins $12 million in the Washington State Lottery.
  That’s when Perry’s lowlife relatives come calling, and Wood does a great job creating characters who you hope get killed in some horrific way, ’cause boy do they have it coming.
  “Lottery” ultimately is a fun, satisfying read. I laughed and cried. Perry is so content with what he has without the money, he shows that happiness cannot be bought. Perry’s story also shows that a family is made up of people who love you, and not necessarily of those with blood ties.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Dropicana road closures — MAP

Tropicana Avenue will be closed between Dean Martin Drive and New York-New York through 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Sphere – Everything you need to know

Las Vegas’ newest cutting-edge arena is ready to debut on the Strip. Here’s everything you need to know about the Sphere, inside and out.