Lowrider

Lowrider is a collection of interlinking short stories, adding up to a novelistic whole, which follows man in his late-20s, who is left paralyzed after a motorcycle accident. Set primarily in a Virginia Beach nursing home, but also in various locales around that city, the protagonist, nicknamed Youngblood by the members of his wheelchair gang, attempts to rehabilitate himself while confronted with the realities of age and isolation. Several themes are explored, including identity, love, permanence and transience, physical and emotional paralysis, and, ultimately, self-acceptance. The stories also aim to depict aspects of young adult life in America, when societal and peer pressure to settle down in life becomes noticeably acute, and what happens to a man who is both physically and psychologically unable to do so. An unrelated story and a memoir excerpt follow, entitled Ask for Directions and South Spigel Drive respectively. However, these also explore many of the same themes, with self-acceptance being of particular importance.