Davey Houle
@daveyhoule.bsky.social
📍Chicago
Seeking representation for a novel and a collection of short stories, a selection of which are here:
https://sheerhumanperversity.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/sphdotcom_20stories.pdf
Seeking representation for a novel and a collection of short stories, a selection of which are here:
https://sheerhumanperversity.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/sphdotcom_20stories.pdf
Such a wonderful writer. Great novel. Congrats! 🎉💕
‘It’s notoriously hard to write about sex’: David Szalay on Flesh, his astounding Booker prize-winner
The novel’s protagonist is violent, libidinous and so inarticulate he says ‘OK’ some 500 times. So how did the author turn his story into a tragic masterpiece?
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Such a wonderful writer. Great novel. Congrats! 🎉💕
25 Failures
Failure #25: Self-Deception as Progress
To fail as he was failing, and to call it honorable, was deceitful and was deluded and was the only way that he could move forward.
Failure #25: Self-Deception as Progress
To fail as he was failing, and to call it honorable, was deceitful and was deluded and was the only way that he could move forward.
April 20, 2025 at 3:15 PM
25 Failures
Failure #25: Self-Deception as Progress
To fail as he was failing, and to call it honorable, was deceitful and was deluded and was the only way that he could move forward.
Failure #25: Self-Deception as Progress
To fail as he was failing, and to call it honorable, was deceitful and was deluded and was the only way that he could move forward.
25 Failures
Failure #24: With Blinders On
With blinders on, she continued through life. Because, as she came to believe, life was as much about blocking out as it was about seeing.
Failure #24: With Blinders On
With blinders on, she continued through life. Because, as she came to believe, life was as much about blocking out as it was about seeing.
April 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
25 Failures
Failure #24: With Blinders On
With blinders on, she continued through life. Because, as she came to believe, life was as much about blocking out as it was about seeing.
Failure #24: With Blinders On
With blinders on, she continued through life. Because, as she came to believe, life was as much about blocking out as it was about seeing.
25 Failures
Failure #23: In the Dark
Mr. Gompart traded in the warm, unshakable belief in his wife’s fidelity and the comfort of their fourteen-year marriage for something that more resembled what had been happening –
Failure #23: In the Dark
Mr. Gompart traded in the warm, unshakable belief in his wife’s fidelity and the comfort of their fourteen-year marriage for something that more resembled what had been happening –
April 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM
25 Failures
Failure #23: In the Dark
Mr. Gompart traded in the warm, unshakable belief in his wife’s fidelity and the comfort of their fourteen-year marriage for something that more resembled what had been happening –
Failure #23: In the Dark
Mr. Gompart traded in the warm, unshakable belief in his wife’s fidelity and the comfort of their fourteen-year marriage for something that more resembled what had been happening –
25 Failures
Failure #22: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As the assailant lunged toward him – the outstretched knife more purposeful than he'd been in years – the man could only marvel that he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time just one time too many.
Failure #22: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As the assailant lunged toward him – the outstretched knife more purposeful than he'd been in years – the man could only marvel that he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time just one time too many.
April 17, 2025 at 3:52 PM
25 Failures
Failure #22: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As the assailant lunged toward him – the outstretched knife more purposeful than he'd been in years – the man could only marvel that he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time just one time too many.
Failure #22: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As the assailant lunged toward him – the outstretched knife more purposeful than he'd been in years – the man could only marvel that he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time just one time too many.
25 Failures
Failure #21: Inimical
Unable to stop herself, with one hand she built her castle while with the other she tore out stones.
Failure #21: Inimical
Unable to stop herself, with one hand she built her castle while with the other she tore out stones.
April 16, 2025 at 2:45 PM
25 Failures
Failure #21: Inimical
Unable to stop herself, with one hand she built her castle while with the other she tore out stones.
Failure #21: Inimical
Unable to stop herself, with one hand she built her castle while with the other she tore out stones.
25 Failures
Failure #20: The Protector
He protected his best friend so fiercely not because his best friend needed protection but because he needed to protect.
Failure #20: The Protector
He protected his best friend so fiercely not because his best friend needed protection but because he needed to protect.
April 15, 2025 at 3:16 PM
25 Failures
Failure #20: The Protector
He protected his best friend so fiercely not because his best friend needed protection but because he needed to protect.
Failure #20: The Protector
He protected his best friend so fiercely not because his best friend needed protection but because he needed to protect.
25 Failures
Failure #19: All Rise
As the judge entered the courtroom, all rose, as was customary, and that momentary acknowledgement of her stature was the highlight of her day.
Failure #19: All Rise
As the judge entered the courtroom, all rose, as was customary, and that momentary acknowledgement of her stature was the highlight of her day.
April 14, 2025 at 1:37 PM
25 Failures
Failure #19: All Rise
As the judge entered the courtroom, all rose, as was customary, and that momentary acknowledgement of her stature was the highlight of her day.
Failure #19: All Rise
As the judge entered the courtroom, all rose, as was customary, and that momentary acknowledgement of her stature was the highlight of her day.
25 Failures
Failure #18: The Prodigy
The teenager from Wisconsin, with his entire life ahead of him – a life so open and flush with possibilities – shot an extra bag of heroin, stepped out into the winter wilderness, and collapsed in a snow drift.
Failure #18: The Prodigy
The teenager from Wisconsin, with his entire life ahead of him – a life so open and flush with possibilities – shot an extra bag of heroin, stepped out into the winter wilderness, and collapsed in a snow drift.
April 13, 2025 at 3:15 PM
25 Failures
Failure #18: The Prodigy
The teenager from Wisconsin, with his entire life ahead of him – a life so open and flush with possibilities – shot an extra bag of heroin, stepped out into the winter wilderness, and collapsed in a snow drift.
Failure #18: The Prodigy
The teenager from Wisconsin, with his entire life ahead of him – a life so open and flush with possibilities – shot an extra bag of heroin, stepped out into the winter wilderness, and collapsed in a snow drift.
25 Failures
Failure #17: Untended
She focuses even harder, and the more she loses herself in her work the more it feels like self-betrayal, like defeat.
Failure #17: Untended
She focuses even harder, and the more she loses herself in her work the more it feels like self-betrayal, like defeat.
April 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
25 Failures
Failure #17: Untended
She focuses even harder, and the more she loses herself in her work the more it feels like self-betrayal, like defeat.
Failure #17: Untended
She focuses even harder, and the more she loses herself in her work the more it feels like self-betrayal, like defeat.
25 Failures
Failure #16: Helpless
As he watched his friend suffer alone in that hospital room, helpless, night after night, he came to see himself, helpless, as the one who inflicts the pain.
Failure #16: Helpless
As he watched his friend suffer alone in that hospital room, helpless, night after night, he came to see himself, helpless, as the one who inflicts the pain.
April 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
25 Failures
Failure #16: Helpless
As he watched his friend suffer alone in that hospital room, helpless, night after night, he came to see himself, helpless, as the one who inflicts the pain.
Failure #16: Helpless
As he watched his friend suffer alone in that hospital room, helpless, night after night, he came to see himself, helpless, as the one who inflicts the pain.
25 Failures
Failure #15: Keeping Score
She spent her days figuring that life owed her more. Her nights she spent polishing off bottles of wine as she tallied her shortcomings in her teensy apartment piled high with books.
Failure #15: Keeping Score
She spent her days figuring that life owed her more. Her nights she spent polishing off bottles of wine as she tallied her shortcomings in her teensy apartment piled high with books.
April 10, 2025 at 2:42 PM
25 Failures
Failure #15: Keeping Score
She spent her days figuring that life owed her more. Her nights she spent polishing off bottles of wine as she tallied her shortcomings in her teensy apartment piled high with books.
Failure #15: Keeping Score
She spent her days figuring that life owed her more. Her nights she spent polishing off bottles of wine as she tallied her shortcomings in her teensy apartment piled high with books.
25 Failures
Failure #14: In the Kitchen
The cold rushes in like schoolchildren, but still she sits bare-armed by the open door pretending it’s not late-January outside.
Failure #14: In the Kitchen
The cold rushes in like schoolchildren, but still she sits bare-armed by the open door pretending it’s not late-January outside.
April 9, 2025 at 1:46 PM
25 Failures
Failure #14: In the Kitchen
The cold rushes in like schoolchildren, but still she sits bare-armed by the open door pretending it’s not late-January outside.
Failure #14: In the Kitchen
The cold rushes in like schoolchildren, but still she sits bare-armed by the open door pretending it’s not late-January outside.
25 Failures
Failure #13: The Clinician
I’m working on building up the requisite emotional calluses like the textbooks say, but I don’t think it’s making me a better RN. It’s making me resent their weaknesses.
Failure #13: The Clinician
I’m working on building up the requisite emotional calluses like the textbooks say, but I don’t think it’s making me a better RN. It’s making me resent their weaknesses.
April 8, 2025 at 2:45 PM
25 Failures
Failure #13: The Clinician
I’m working on building up the requisite emotional calluses like the textbooks say, but I don’t think it’s making me a better RN. It’s making me resent their weaknesses.
Failure #13: The Clinician
I’m working on building up the requisite emotional calluses like the textbooks say, but I don’t think it’s making me a better RN. It’s making me resent their weaknesses.
25 Failures
Failure #12: Breathing Room
She watches her husband sleeping – with his monstrous breaths for once so relaxed and easy – and for those spindly ten minutes she feels in control of her marriage.
Failure #12: Breathing Room
She watches her husband sleeping – with his monstrous breaths for once so relaxed and easy – and for those spindly ten minutes she feels in control of her marriage.
April 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
25 Failures
Failure #12: Breathing Room
She watches her husband sleeping – with his monstrous breaths for once so relaxed and easy – and for those spindly ten minutes she feels in control of her marriage.
Failure #12: Breathing Room
She watches her husband sleeping – with his monstrous breaths for once so relaxed and easy – and for those spindly ten minutes she feels in control of her marriage.
25 Failures
Failure #11: Department Store
The woman waiting at the sales counter was a shining example of what Kate could never be: moneyed, appropriate, esteemed.
Failure #11: Department Store
The woman waiting at the sales counter was a shining example of what Kate could never be: moneyed, appropriate, esteemed.
April 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
25 Failures
Failure #11: Department Store
The woman waiting at the sales counter was a shining example of what Kate could never be: moneyed, appropriate, esteemed.
Failure #11: Department Store
The woman waiting at the sales counter was a shining example of what Kate could never be: moneyed, appropriate, esteemed.
25 Failures
Failure #10: In Isolation
It had been months he figured, at least three, since his wife had touched him like that: without he touching her first.
Failure #10: In Isolation
It had been months he figured, at least three, since his wife had touched him like that: without he touching her first.
April 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
25 Failures
Failure #10: In Isolation
It had been months he figured, at least three, since his wife had touched him like that: without he touching her first.
Failure #10: In Isolation
It had been months he figured, at least three, since his wife had touched him like that: without he touching her first.
25 Failures
Failure #9: Settling
As the years passed, she less often found herself thinking of the word settling as in “putting down your roots” and more often as in “taking what you can get.”
Failure #9: Settling
As the years passed, she less often found herself thinking of the word settling as in “putting down your roots” and more often as in “taking what you can get.”
April 4, 2025 at 2:52 PM
25 Failures
Failure #9: Settling
As the years passed, she less often found herself thinking of the word settling as in “putting down your roots” and more often as in “taking what you can get.”
Failure #9: Settling
As the years passed, she less often found herself thinking of the word settling as in “putting down your roots” and more often as in “taking what you can get.”
25 Failures
Failure #8: Simple Math
Her life had become a series of subtractions. How much could she chisel from her day-to-day and still get by? By most accounts she still functioned like a successful American woman – that is, she performed well at her chosen career.
Failure #8: Simple Math
Her life had become a series of subtractions. How much could she chisel from her day-to-day and still get by? By most accounts she still functioned like a successful American woman – that is, she performed well at her chosen career.
April 3, 2025 at 2:46 PM
25 Failures
Failure #8: Simple Math
Her life had become a series of subtractions. How much could she chisel from her day-to-day and still get by? By most accounts she still functioned like a successful American woman – that is, she performed well at her chosen career.
Failure #8: Simple Math
Her life had become a series of subtractions. How much could she chisel from her day-to-day and still get by? By most accounts she still functioned like a successful American woman – that is, she performed well at her chosen career.
25 Failures
Failure #7: The Great Curve
The great curve of how he came to this place in his life snuck up on him, and the resulting shame crippled him like he was seven years old and getting belittled by his father again.
Failure #7: The Great Curve
The great curve of how he came to this place in his life snuck up on him, and the resulting shame crippled him like he was seven years old and getting belittled by his father again.
April 2, 2025 at 2:47 PM
25 Failures
Failure #7: The Great Curve
The great curve of how he came to this place in his life snuck up on him, and the resulting shame crippled him like he was seven years old and getting belittled by his father again.
Failure #7: The Great Curve
The great curve of how he came to this place in his life snuck up on him, and the resulting shame crippled him like he was seven years old and getting belittled by his father again.
25 Failures
Failure #6: The Mask
It was an act she was putting on. Oh, she was frustrated, exhausted, sad. Her circumstances were wearing her down, sure. But that mask of misery she wore was at least partly theatrics. There was no getting around that.
Failure #6: The Mask
It was an act she was putting on. Oh, she was frustrated, exhausted, sad. Her circumstances were wearing her down, sure. But that mask of misery she wore was at least partly theatrics. There was no getting around that.
April 1, 2025 at 2:41 PM
25 Failures
Failure #6: The Mask
It was an act she was putting on. Oh, she was frustrated, exhausted, sad. Her circumstances were wearing her down, sure. But that mask of misery she wore was at least partly theatrics. There was no getting around that.
Failure #6: The Mask
It was an act she was putting on. Oh, she was frustrated, exhausted, sad. Her circumstances were wearing her down, sure. But that mask of misery she wore was at least partly theatrics. There was no getting around that.
25 Failures
Failure #5: The Family Curse
The Family Curse – the inability to say no to a drink – smiles wide once again as, unbeknownst to aunt and uncle, the embryo implants itself in the uterine wall.
Failure #5: The Family Curse
The Family Curse – the inability to say no to a drink – smiles wide once again as, unbeknownst to aunt and uncle, the embryo implants itself in the uterine wall.
March 31, 2025 at 1:40 PM
25 Failures
Failure #5: The Family Curse
The Family Curse – the inability to say no to a drink – smiles wide once again as, unbeknownst to aunt and uncle, the embryo implants itself in the uterine wall.
Failure #5: The Family Curse
The Family Curse – the inability to say no to a drink – smiles wide once again as, unbeknownst to aunt and uncle, the embryo implants itself in the uterine wall.
25 Failures
Failure #4: In the Mirror
She applies makeup to her lopsided face. But she knows how it is. All the pep talks from her besties and all the extended lash, no-clump mascara in the world can’t change a fucking thing.
Failure #4: In the Mirror
She applies makeup to her lopsided face. But she knows how it is. All the pep talks from her besties and all the extended lash, no-clump mascara in the world can’t change a fucking thing.
March 30, 2025 at 3:37 PM
25 Failures
Failure #4: In the Mirror
She applies makeup to her lopsided face. But she knows how it is. All the pep talks from her besties and all the extended lash, no-clump mascara in the world can’t change a fucking thing.
Failure #4: In the Mirror
She applies makeup to her lopsided face. But she knows how it is. All the pep talks from her besties and all the extended lash, no-clump mascara in the world can’t change a fucking thing.
25 Failures
Failure #3: Out the Window
To concentrate more fully on his art, he stripped away all that was extraneous to his life: family, friends, sex – but then so went the joy.
Failure #3: Out the Window
To concentrate more fully on his art, he stripped away all that was extraneous to his life: family, friends, sex – but then so went the joy.
March 29, 2025 at 2:31 PM
25 Failures
Failure #3: Out the Window
To concentrate more fully on his art, he stripped away all that was extraneous to his life: family, friends, sex – but then so went the joy.
Failure #3: Out the Window
To concentrate more fully on his art, he stripped away all that was extraneous to his life: family, friends, sex – but then so went the joy.