By turns funny, romantic, erotic, and sad, this evocative novel brilliantly recreates the landscape of late adolescence, when friendships seem eternal and loves reincarnate. Set in Arkansas but first published in Amsterdam, Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada (published in the U.S. as Cody) quickly won praise from reviewers and readers across Europe and North America. So beautiful, brave, and ahead of its time that William S. Burroughs was an early fan, Clicking Beat remains remarkably current and continues to be unique in coming of age literature. A haunting vision of young friendship shattered by an outrageously cruel world. The novel aches with adolescent first loves. It is tender, funny, and true.
- William S. Burroughs, author of Naked Lunch Commands much of J.R. Ackerley's honesty, intimacy, and ease of style. Real warmth.
- Jonathan Williams, Musings A sense of life, the search for identity, intellectual militancy, the ambiguity of human relationships, unsatisfied desire, and weakness in facing existence are just some of the facets of life that the author evokes with precision.
- Livres (Brussels) This novel is a must.
- RFD (Asheville, NC)
