The Gospel According to Danny
A NOVEL
The Gospel According to Danny is such a beautiful read, delving into personal psychology while taking us through the tragedies—large and small—that mark our times. Danny, a young man finding his way through the troubling worlds of love and labor, is deeply appealing—as a figure of reason and compassion, but also as a reminder of the crushing choices economics impose upon the working class. Anyone who’s worked in the service industry will appreciate the behind-the-scenes restaurant drama. Hicks’ exploration of marriage is nuanced and poignant: two people inexorably drawn apart by forces only partially in their control. Ultimately, Hicks paints a dynamic portrait of relatable characters while at the same time portraying, with unflinching vigor, the fall of the American empire.
– Philip Brady, author of The Elsewhere
PRAISE FOR The Gospel According to Danny
“Hicks writes of class and race, parenthood and love and friendship, violence and grief, and, most of all, transformation. Hicks is wise and compassionate, as he narrates this very American tale.”
“Writing like a motormouth Philip Roth, Hicks deftly and defiantly explores how we chart our own individual destinies, as well as how we’re each shaped by the shareable dreams of marriage and parenthood, family and country.”
“Hicks offers a deeply effecting portrait of a young man misspending his life into wisdom, empathy, and the capacity for love that, against the odds, makes it all worthwhile.”