Apex Hides the Hurt: A Novel [Paperback]

ThisNew York Times Notable Book from the #1New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Underground Railroadis a brisk, comic tour de force about identity, history, and the adhesive bandage industry.

The town of Winthrop has decided it needs a new name. The resident software millionaire wants to call it New Prospera; the mayor wants to return to the original choice of the founding black settlers; and the town’s aristocracy sees no reason to change the name at all. What they need, they realize, is a nomenclature consultant. And, it turns out, the consultant needs them. But in a culture overwhelmed by marketing, the name is everything and our hero’s efforts may result in not just a new name for the town but a new and subtler truth about it as well.

“Wickedly funny. . . . Whitehead is making a strong case for a new name of his own: that of the best of the new generation of American novelists.” —The Boston Globe

“A brilliant, witty, and subtle novel, written in a most engaging style, with tremendous aptness of language and command of plot.”
—The New York Review of Books

“Terrific. . . . Inspired. . . . Engaging, exuding energy. . . . Will have you nodding in wonder.” —The Miami Herald

“Dazzling. . . . Gorgeous, expertly crafted sentences. . . . An eloquent novel about racial identity in America.” —Newsweek

“Brilliant. . . . Exhilarating. . . . What keeps you reading this critique of language is its language, and our perverse delight in the ingenious abuse of words.” —The New York Times

Colson Whitehead is the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Underground Railroad. His other works include The Noble Hustle, Zone One, Sag Harbor, The Intuitionist, John Henry Days,&#lĂ!