Hart Island

Hart Island has been a potters field for over a century, holding over a million indigent, unclaimed, or unknown New Yorkers bodies. In this novel, Gary Zebrun explores overlapping connections of sexuality, family, criminality, and morality. Sal Cusumano hauls coffins to Hart Island with a burial crew of Rikers Island inmates and guards, but the island ceases to be his sanctuary after Antony ensnares him in a crime.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 02 April 2024
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Hart Island has been a cemetery for over a century, housing over a million indigent, unclaimed, or unidentified New Yorkers. Despite its significance, it remains relatively unknown among locals. In this captivating and poignant narrative, author Gary Zebrun delves into the interconnected realms of sexuality, family, criminality, and morality on this island, reminiscent of a miniature boot-shaped portion of Italy.

Sal Cusumano, driven out of the Coast Guard during the era of "Dont Ask, Dont Tell," finds solace in hauling coffins to Hart Island alongside a burial crew comprised of Rikers Island inmates and guards. It is there that he can finally bid adieu to the family troubles that plague him on Staten Island: his adopted brother and lover, Justin; his mother, Ida, grappling with rapid dementia; the haunting memory of his father, Francesco, a bookmaker assassinated on his doorstep; and his brother Antony, a Manhattan homicide detective moonlighting with the mob. However, the island loses its protective embrace when Antony entangles him and others in a crime that involves a nocturnal visit to the potters field.

This compelling and intricately plotted novel navigates through the shadows as its characters yearn for connection and redemption. Set on the eve of the COVID pandemic, it blends elements of love story, crime novel, and mystery, creating a rich tapestry of human experiences.

Weight: 254g
Dimension: 139 x 216 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780299348342