Like Being Killed Book

An astounding tour-de-force exploration of the limits of self-destruction and the possibilities of redemption. Narrated by a young woman distinguished by her humor as well as her encyclopedic knowledge of literature, physics, and pharmacology--this novel has all the hallmarks of literary sensation. "I could never predict what was going to ruin me and what was going to rescue me," says Ilyana Meyerovich. In her squalid Lower East Side apartment, masochism and nihilism form the twin poles of Ilyana's heroin-blurred existence. When Ilyana encounters true friendship in the form of Susie Lyons, having no precedent for it, she cannot help but destroy it. Susie's genuine affection and calm, centered presence tug Ilyana out of her depression, dark memories, and existential despair, but not far enough that Ilyana is willing or able to act to save Susie from her own innocence. The consequences are devastating, until Ilyana meets with the hope of redemption, for herself and for Susie. Ellen Miller shows us a world where the desperate desire for connection to something larger than the isolated self takes many forms. Like Being Killed's starkly alienated protagonists and their disturbing, fascinating lives rise from the page with scorching power in this harrowing, cathartic tale of human struggle. * An astonishing literary debut, by a wholly original young novelist, in the tradition of Dorothy Allison, author of the acclaimed Bastard Out of Carolina.Read More