Table Of ContentPraise for Apology Fiction / Literature $16
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“Jon Pineda has written a novel that is, by any standard, an impressive success. Apology i
n
is a page-turner of ideas, and it shows us how our actions spin out in crazy
e
directions, marbles that roll under our lives’ furniture and come out in
d He would go to their house and tell them
the most surprising times. I loved it.”
a how it had happened, how he wished it
—Darin Strauss aaaaaaapppppppooooooolllllllooooooogggggggyyyyyyy
had never happened. His entire life, it
“A spare and powerful novel about guilt, sacrifice, and the cruel butterfly effect seemed, was hanging on this apology . . .
sometimes triggered by our seemingly inconsequential acts. Pineda writes with
precision and humanity.” When nine-year-old Tom Serafino’s twin
—Jonathan Evison aaaaaaa nnnnnnnooooooovvvvvvveeeeeeelllllll
Jon Pineda is the author of a memoir, Sleep sister, Teagan, suffers a debilitating brain
in Me, which was a Library Journal “Best Books “Apology is a perfectly paced, deeply satisfying novel. Jon Pineda renders his injury, a police investigation implicates
characters with a compassion that refuses to lapse into sentimentality.”
of 2010” selection. His collections of poems his playmate Mario’s uncle, a transient
—Ron Rash
include The Translator’s Diary, winner of the
immigrant worker known as Shoe.
2007 Green Rose Prize from New Issues, and
Praise for Sleep in Me
Innocent of the crime but burdened by his
Birthmark, selected by Ralph Burns as winner
own childhood tragedy, Shoe takes the
of the 2003 Crab Orchard Award Series “Sleep in Me is the rare memoir that takes nothing for granted. . . . [Pineda’s]
Open Competition. He teaches in the MFA concentrated, vivid scenes move along the edges of silence and speech, shadowing a blame for the accident caused by his
program at Queens University of Charlotte, young man’s physical prowess and his sister’s broken body, a far-flung family and young nephew, ensuring Mario’s chance at
and lives in Virginia with his family. Apology inborn dislocation, variously furious, tender, devastated, and gallant.”
a future publicly unscarred.
is his first novel. —Robert Polito
Told in vivid scenes alive with
“Sleep in Me is a sharp portrait of place, culture, and growing up male and confused in imagery, this striking debut novel
weird America while at the same time being a tender elegy for those lost. Written with explores how the decisions we make in an
the intimacy and immediacy of a diary and the attention to language and sound of a
instant reverberate for years to come. Can
prose poem, this is a superlative and heartfelt memoir by an excellent
a lie born from resignation, fear, and love
new writer.”
—Greg Bottoms transform tragedy into hope? And is the
life of one man worth the price of that lie?
“A book that can be taken down from the shelf and opened to any chapter, any moment
however random and fleeting, and can make us feel the grand weight of Deeply empathetic and beautifully
tragedy, and the victory when we fight it.” written, Apology offers a powerful vision
—Noah Renn
of the measure of duty we have toward
one another, and the extent to which
abandoning the wreckage of family and
the past often leads to unexpected
jon pineda
consequences.
Cover design by Brad Norr Design
apology
Also by Jon Pineda
Memoir
Sleep in Me
Poetry
The Translator’s Diary
Birthmark
apology
a novel
Jon Pineda
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons,
living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
© 2013, Text by Jon Pineda
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher:
Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.
(800) 520-6455
www.milkweed.org
Published 2013 by Milkweed Editions
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design and graphic by Brad Norr
Author photo by Amy Pineda
13 14 15 16 17 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support
from the Bush Foundation; the Patrick and Aimee Butler Foundation; the Dougherty Family Foundation;
the Driscoll Foundation; the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight
Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant,
thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; the National Endowment
for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations,
and individuals. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit www.milkweed.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pineda, Jon, 1971–
Apology : a novel / Jon Pineda. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-57131-104-7 (acid-free paper)
I. Title.
PS3616.I565A85 2013
813'.6—dc23
2012027828
Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production
practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a
member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors
working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. Apology was printed
on acid-free 100% postconsumer-waste paper by Edwards Brothers, Inc.
For Emma and Luke
. . . the sum of these events
I cannot draw, the ledger I cannot keep, the accounting
beyond the account:
— A. R. Ammons, “Corsons Inlet”
apology
