Buzz

Born in 1969 on the day of the first moon landing, Buzz is the only American-born child in a Czech political refugee immigrant family. Adrift between Old World and New, feeling alienated by so-called progress, Buzz struggles to find connection in New York City's stultifying Long Island suburbs. When saying goodbye to his step-father for the last time, Buzz inherits his childhood home along with a closetful of shameful secrets. Buzz's bizarre family saga and his earnest quest for friendship present a darkly comic yet touching portrait of the post-War immigrant experience. With understated wit and a photographic eye for detail, Zverina zooms out to scope large events--the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Apollo 11 moon landing, and, yes, even Y2K--then zooms back in to examine the ramifications on the tiny individual lives History leaves bobbing in its wake. Written in a concise cinematic style, BUZZ is a quick read that lingers long after. (Genres: Literary fiction; ethnic interest; coming of age)