u/sorolos

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Dear [Agent]

I am seeking representation for UGLY DRIVER, a 82,000 word completed literary fiction manuscript. The novel is a gothic narrative set in a surreal contemporary London. It explores self-expression, aestheticization of the past, and the myriad ways in which loneliness can shape our lives. I believe it will appeal to readers who appreciate the zany imagination of Thomas Pynchon’s shadow ticket and the sweeping scale of Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.

When Killer Joe, the draconian former mayor of Fionworth, dies, the town erupts in celebration, throwing a block party outside his mansion. Only three people mourn him: his young nurse, Pauline, and two old acquaintances, McElroy and Aqbal.

Barricading themselves inside the sprawling estate, the trio passes time by reading Joe's memoir. As they work through its account of his life, each reader offers their own interpretation, transforming the true events into increasingly extravagant fantasies. Before long, their collaborative retelling evolves into a sprawling street-racing epic, charting Joe's time with Green Impulse, an illegal racing collective, which he co-led with the enigmatic nerd, Ronin Tang; a saga which ended tragically and led to Joe rejecting everything racing ever stood for. In analysing these events, Aqbal becomes obsessed with the story's central love triangle between Joe, Joe's sister, and Joe's best friend, St.John; McElroy luxuriates in the visual decadence of the 90s, and Pauline foregrounds the political upheaval simmering beneath it all.

But as the block party outside rages on, unexpected visitors begin arriving at the mansion, and the line between invention and reality starts to dissolve...

Dear [Agent,]

I am seeking representation for UGLY DRIVER, a 82,000 word completed literary fiction manuscript. The novel is a gothic narrative set in a surreal contemporary London. It explores self-expression, aestheticization of the past, and the myriad ways in which loneliness can shape our lives. I believe it will appeal to readers who appreciate the zany imagination of Thomas Pynchon’s shadow ticket and the sweeping scale of Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.

When Killer Joe, the draconian former mayor of Fionworth, dies, the town erupts in celebration, throwing a block party outside his mansion. Only three people mourn him: his young nurse, Pauline, and two old acquaintances, McElroy and Aqbal.

Barricading themselves inside the sprawling estate, the trio passes the night reading Joe's memoir. As they work through its account of his life, each offers their own interpretation, transforming its mundane events into increasingly extravagant fantasies. Before long, their collaborative retelling evolves into a sprawling street-racing epic: Aqbal becomes obsessed with the story's central love triangle, McElroy luxuriates in its visual decadence, and Pauline foregrounds the political upheaval simmering beneath it all.

But as the celebration rages deep into the night, unexpected visitors begin arriving at the mansion, and the line between the story they're inventing and the reality surrounding them starts to dissolve...

Before Sutpen married Ellen that is.