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The Madcat: An Amusement Park Novel
Paperback
Series: The Western Mass. Duology
Publisher: Grassy Gutter Press
Published: Jul 21 2026
Pages: 274
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.58 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
In 1975, Vinny Potkevich, an anxious but wide-eyed 17-year-old, runs away from an abusive stepdad outside Pittsburgh to find exhilarating refuge in a giant amusement park hundreds of miles east. Alongside P.K. Hopper, a notorious, death-defying rogue who runs the Madcat coaster, Vinny saves eight lives a minute wielding tall rusty poles, meets girls at the drop of a safety bar, dodges insane orders from Britt Fisher, the vengeful personnel director, parties after hours in whirlwinds of beers and brawls and laughs and possible kisses from equally nutty merry-go-round operator Sheena Leary. Through a sweltering late August, Demolition Derby Night and Labor Day, Vinny gets a week-long crash course in life, and takes us along for the infectious, sensory ride.
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