The Fifteenth of June

Can we lose a loved one without losing ourselves?

Twenty-eight-year-old Drew Thomson is haunted by a troubled past. After struggling for years with alcoholism and antisocial behavior, he ends a stable relationship with his girlfriend and finds himself without a home, job, or purpose.

Just as he learns that his father is terminally ill, he meets a stranger who offers him a flicker of hope for a better future. But is he ready to bury the past?

Rich with dark humor and a keen insight into the human condition, this debut fictional release from author Brent Jones delves into life’s most pressing trials—destructive relationships, love, loss, and pursuing happiness.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The Fifteenth of June by Brent Jones explores the impact of childhood trauma onto adulthood and how much strength, courage, and help it takes to move on. As the main character, Drew, deals with the twentieth anniversary of his mother's murder as he also deals with a relationship ending and a terminal diagnosis for his father. 

Drew Thomson is not the easiest character to like. He's very troubled and deals with his depression and lack of emotions with drugs and alcohol. Drew has never been taught how to understand and truly face the struggles that come with life. So he hides from them, alone and inebriated to an extreme point. Right from the start, readers will undoubtedly feel pity for him. I could even see some readers not liking him at all as he doesn't exactly try. His father has always advised him to take life as it is, just accept it, and go with the flow. Yet, following this (bad) advice has only pushed Drew to further dislike himself and create a bad environment around himself. His best friend, Neil, is a horrible person, using drugs, alcohol, and women to create a facade of success and happiness. Though, I think this does well to symbolize the idea of rock bottom that Drew has sunken to. And truly, the only way for Drew to go is up. With the help of a complete stranger, Sierra, Drew decides to try. Try to live, try to improve, try to find his truth and live it. 

The position that Drew starts from is one of darkness and depression. At first, it seems like Drew has completely given up, ready to accept his drinking and drug-induced haze as a way of life. This does make it hard to connect with Drew at the beginning of the book, but it also offers a starting point from which to grow. As the book continues, Jones does a good job at bringing readers to a sense of understanding. There are always reasons behind a person's actions and Jones subtly highlights the motives that deeply effect Drew in order to bring readers into his corner. However, it does become a little frustrating as a reader and a witness to read all of Drew's destructive behavior. Even though, there is a echo of hope as Drew realizes that if he just tried, then maybe something good could come of it because he really has nothing left to lose. 

While Drew faces these internal struggles, his father, Russell, is dying from lung cancer. Russell seems to be the only constant in Drew's life and readers will witness the fear Drew feels as that consistency is threatened. The Fifteenth of June focuses on Drew's inability to live and feel as he thinks a normal person would and then compounds that stagnant and unfeeling nature with external circumstances that could push Drew over the edge. Throughout the novel, though, as Drew makes bad decision after bad decision, he comes to a metaphorical crossroads. He learns that though it won't be easy, by any means, he is capable of change. Because of that, this book can be taken as an inspirational story about a man who overcomes his darkness and looks to the future with a new sense of hope and humanity. 

Rating: 3.5/5 Cups

Ashes

Middle-aged brothers Jason and Tom Prendergast thought they were completely done with each other. Perceived betrayal had burned the bridge between them, tossing them into the icy river of estrangement. But life and death has a robust sense of irony, and when they learn that their cruel father has died and made his final request that they travel together across the country to spread his ashes, they have no choice but to spend a long, long car trip in each other s company. It s either that or lose out on the contents of the envelope he s left with his lawyer. The trip will be as gut-wrenching as each expects it to be . . . and revealing in ways neither of them is prepared for.

*May Contain Spoilers*

A road trip across the United States with a wooden box of ashes and two brothers who couldn't misunderstand or dislike each other more. Ashes by Steven Manchester crosses state lines and personal boundaries, pushing two estranged family members back together after fifteen years of silence. 

Tom Prendergast is a university professor who has always needed to be the smartest person in the room. Not only was he the smaller brother in an abusive household, he was also the most afraid. Tom grew up being physically and verbally abused by his father, his hatred for him constantly growing. As a fifty year old man, he dreams of escape. Or the very least, something more. His wife consistently cheats on him while he fears what will happen to his children if he leaves her. It becomes another form of abuse for Tom. While he tries to deal with that, he also struggles with his health. Readers will empathize with Tom as they learn more and more about him. The road trip with his brother, Jason, is not something that Tom exactly wants to do. He'd actually rather do anything else. Yet, he hopes that his father, though a horrible person in life, left him something decent in death. And though these expectations might be a little selfish, Jason feels the same way. Almost as if, the brothers both wish that there father would willingly take back everything he put them through as children. 

Jason is a tough, giant of a man, who works as a correctional officer in a prison. Though he has a very hard exterior, battling criminals, he also has a surprisingly soft side for those who have also experienced the difficulties life can bring. He volunteers at a youth detention center, attempting to reach children who may still have a chance to escape the criminal path they've started on. I think readers will connect with him most based on his relationship with his daughter, Miranda. Though she seems a little over the top when it comes to her wedding, Jason treats her like a princess who deserves everything. It's very sweet to see his interaction with her and it creates a stark contrast to how he others. 

The entire novel revolves around Stuart Prendergast, the good-for-nothing father that attempted to raise Jason and Tom, while abusing them and treating them like vermin. He has just died from prostate cancer and his will includes instruction for Jason and Tom to take his ashes to Seattle, WA and spread them at a certain address. If they do this, they'll receive whatever is in a mysterious envelope. Though Stuart Prendergast most definitely is described as a complete nightmare, this road trip may be the only thing he ever did right. As Jason and Tom set out, the trip is nothing but snapping, matching wits, and making threats. But the more distance that stacks up between Salem, MA (where they pick up the remains) and Seattle, WA, the less distance there is between these two brothers. 

Between present day influences and flashbacks to the boyhood battles, Jason and Tom have fifteen years to make up for and readers will enjoy the mountain these two men climb in attempting to repair their lost friendship and sense of understanding. The realism of their characters is strong and I think readers will be able to connect with both Jason and Tom on various levels. Manchester has really fleshed out these characters and though Manchester's happy endings are sort of an expectation, Jason and Tom earn theirs from start to finish. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Meet the Author

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island as well as the novels Goodnight, Brian and The Changing Season. His work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning, and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Excerpt (Contains Adult Language)

Tom wheeled his late-model, platinum-colored BMW into Attorney Russell Norman’s freshly paved lot and parked between a brand new Lexus—sporting the license plate JUSTIS4U—and a custom pickup truck. Looks like I’m going after the hillbilly, he thought when he spotted the faded Massachusetts Department of Correction sticker in the rear window. His blood turned cold. “It must be Jason,” he thought aloud. I didn’t think he’d come.

Tom took a few deep breaths, not because he was nervous about his father’s death or talking to any lawyer but because he hadn’t seen his Neanderthal brother—for fifteen years, I think. He paused for a moment to give it more thought. Although their relationship had essentially vaporized in their late teens—the result of a fall out that still haunted his dreams—they’d occasionally wound up in each other’s orbits; weddings, funerals, and the like, enough to remain familiar with each other’s career choices, wives, and children. But even that came to an end fifteen years ago, he confirmed in his aching head before opening the door. While his toothache-induced migraine threatened to blind him, he took one step into the oak-paneled waiting room. His and Jason’s eyes met for the briefest moment. As though they were complete strangers, they both looked away. And here he is, Tom thought, disappointed. This is just great.

Through peripheral vision, Tom noticed that his older brother now wore a scar over his right eye, just above a bushy eyebrow that could have easily belonged to a homeless Scotsman. A jagged ear lobe, a piece clearly torn away, pointed to a crooked nose that sat sideways on his face—all of it rearranged since birth. What a big tub of shit he’s turned into, Tom thought, struggling to ignore his throbbing face and head. He’s as fat as a wood tick now, he thought, grinning, and he looks like he’s ready to pop. Jason looked straight at him, as if reading his mind. Tom immediately looked away, his rapid heartbeat starting to pound in his ears, intensifying his physical pain. Unbelievable, he thought. After all the years and all the distance, his elder brother—by only two years—still scared the hell out of him. He’s just a big asshole, that’s all, he told himself, but he still couldn’t bring himself to rejoin his brother’s penetrating gaze.

The secretary answered her phone before calling out, “Mr. Prendergast . . .”

Both brothers stood.

“Attorney Norman will see you now.”

Tom walked in first, letting the door close behind him—right in Jason’s face.

“Still a weasel,” Jason muttered, loud enough for all to hear.

“What was that?” Tom asked just inside the door.

“Don’t even think about playing with me,” Jason warned as he reopened the door and entered the room, “’cause I have no problem throwing you over my knee and spanking you right in front of this guy.”

I’m fifty years old, for God’s sake, Tom thought, and he thinks he’s going to spank me? I’m surprised the prison even let him out.

The attorney—his hand extended for anyone willing to give it a shake—looked mortified by the childish exchange.

Tom shook the man’s hand before settling into a soft leather wing chair. Jason followed suit.

The room was framed in rich mahogany paneling. The desk could have belonged in the oval office. Beneath a green-glassed banker’s lamp, stacks of file folders took up most of the vast desktop. An American flag stood in one corner, while framed diplomas and certificates, bearing witness to the man’s intelligence and vast education, covered the brown walls.

Attorney Norman wore a pinstriped shirt and pleated, charcoal-colored slacks held up by a pair of black suspenders. He had a bow tie, a receding hairline that begged to be shaved bald, and a pair of eyeglasses that John Lennon would have been proud to call his own. There’s no denying it, Tom thought, trying to ignore his brother’s wheezing beside him, he’s either a lawyer or a banker. He couldn’t be anything else.

While Jason squirmed in his seat, visibly uncomfortable to be sitting in a lawyer’s office, his hands squeezed the arms of the chair. What a chicken shit, Tom thought, trying to make himself feel better. Peering sideways, he noticed that his brother’s knuckles were so swollen with scar tissue they could have belonged to a man who made his living as a bare-knuckle brawler. He’s still an animal too, he decided.

Attorney Norman took a seat, grabbed a manila file from atop the deep stack and cleared his throat. “The reason you’re both here . . .”

“. . . is to make sure the old man’s really dead,” Jason interrupted.

In spite of himself and his harsh feelings for his brother, Tom chuckled—drawing looks from both men.

“The reason we’re all here,” Attorney Norman repeated, “is to read Stuart Prendergast’s last will and testament.” He flipped open the folder.

This ought to be good, Tom thought, while Jason took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Both brothers sat erect in their plush chairs, waiting to hear more.

As if he were Stuart Prendergast sitting there in the flesh, the mouthpiece read, “My final wish is that my two sons, Jason and Thomas, bring my final remains to 1165 Milford Road in Seattle, Washington, where they will spread my ashes.”

“Seattle?” Tom blurted, his wagging tongue catching his tooth, making him wince in pain. Quickly concealing his weakness, he slid to the edge of his seat. “Oh, I don’t think so,” he mumbled, careful not to touch the tooth again.

Jason was shaking his head. “Hell no,” he said.

The attorney read on. “I’ve always been afraid to fly, so I’m asking that I not be transported by airplane but driven by car.”

“No way,” Tom instinctively sputtered.

Jason laughed aloud. “This is just great. The old bastard’s dead and he’s still screwing with us.”

The less-than-amused attorney revealed a sealed envelope and continued on. “As my final gift to my sons . . .”

“Only gift,” Tom muttered, feeling a cauldron of bad feelings bubbling in his gut.

“I’m leaving this sealed envelope for them to share, once and only once they’ve taken me to my final resting place.”

“What the fuck!” Jason blurted.

Every cell in Tom’s overloaded brain flashed red. Don’t do it, he thought. You don’t owe that old man a damned thing. But every cell in his body was flooded with curiosity. He looked at Jason, who was no longer shaking his fat head.

“Maybe the bastard finally hit it big at the dog track?” Jason suggested.

Tom nodded in agreement but secretly wondered, Could it be the deed to the land Pop bragged about owning in Maine? He stared at the envelope. For as long as I can remember, he claimed to own forty-plus acres with a brook running straight through it. He stared harder. Could it be? he wondered, wishing he had X-ray vision. A parcel of land in Maine sure would make a nice retirement . . .

“How ’bout we travel separately and meet in Seattle to spread the ashes?” Jason said, interrupting his thoughts.

“Great idea,” Tom said, hoping against all hope that the idea would fly with their father’s lawyer.

Attorney Norman shook his head. “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but your father specifically requested that you travel together with his remains to Seattle. Any deviation from this can and will prohibit you from attaining the sealed envelope.”

There was a long pause, the room blanketed in a heavy silence. Son of a bitch, Tom thought, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. He turned to Jason, who was already looking at him. “What do you say?” he asked, already cursing his inability to curb his curiosity.

Jason shook his head in disgust. “The last thing I want to do is to go on some stupid road trip with you.”

“Trust me, that’s a mutual feeling,” Tom shot back.

“But I don’t think we have a choice,” Jason added. “Our fucked-up father wants to play one last game with us, so to hell with it—let’s play.”

This is insane, but he’s right, Tom thought. With a single nod, Tom stood. “Okay, let’s have the ashes then,” he told the lawyer.

The attorney shook his head. “I don’t have them. They’re currently at a funeral home in Salem.”

“Salem?” Tom squeaked, unhappy that his tone betrayed his distress.

“That’s right. You have to take custody of your father’s remains from the Buffington Funeral Home in Salem, Massachusetts.”

“You must be shitting me.” Jason said.

The attorney smirked. “I shit you not,” he said, throwing the letter onto his desk.

Salem? Tom repeated in his head. Just when I thought Pop couldn’t be a bigger prick . . . The migraine knocked even harder from the inside of his skull, making him feel nauseous. Amid the pain, his synapses fired wildly, considering all this would mean: I’ll have to take bereavement leave from school and find someone to cover my classes. I should probably double my treatment with Dr. Baxter tomorrow. And what about Caleb and Caroline? he asked himself, quickly deciding, They’ll be fine without me for a few days. Then he pictured his wife’s face. And Carmen, she’ll be fine without me for a lot longer than that. The nausea increased. Screw her.

"Are we done here?” Jason asked, obviously itching to leave.

The lawyer nodded. “I’ll need proof in the form of a video or a series of photos that you’ve deposited your father’s remains where he wished. Once I have that, the letter’s all yours.”

“How wonderful,” Jason said sarcastically. He stood, turned on his heels, and headed for the door.

Tom also got to his feet. He looked at the lawyer and, trying to ignore his physical discomfort, he smiled. “Don’t mind him,” he said, shrugging. “That imbecile is exactly what our father trained him to be.”

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After Dad, A Novel

"He was always there for me," Jenny Kovacek says in the opening of the novel After Dad, and indeed, her father is such a charismatic force in the family that despite his untimely passing, he continues to have a dynamic impact on his survivors. Set mostly in Southern California during the tumultuous 1960s, Ralph Cohen's debut novel tells the stories of the man's three children and widow as they cope with their loss. Though missing, the father is never far from their minds, and during critical moments in their lives, he seems to reach out in various ways, from simple memories of touch and voice to artifacts left behind to a sense of his ongoing existence. How each of the family members responds to his lingering presence leads to results that are by turn comic, tragic and transformative.

*Contains Spoilers*

 

Ralph Cohen writes a real and raw story of what happens to a family in the 1960s after the father dies unexpectedly from a heart attack in his novel, After Dad. Interpreting this title, a reader would think that it literally means "after Dad" died, but there is another way to see it. For a few characters it seems to mean following "after Dad." Or even, going "after Dad." Readers will witness this family's struggle and be entertained, appalled, afraid, worried, and hopeful for the Kovaceks.

 

The family consists of Ruth, the mother, and Jenny, Margot, and Toby, the three children. Frank Kovacek, the father who dies, was always imaginative and inspiring to his children. He'd tell them tall tales of his younger years, his soldier years, and how he fell in love with their mother. The three children undoubtedly loved their father and so did Ruth, even though it wasn't always easy.

 

Jenny is the most imaginative of the children. She dreams herself to other places and believes that Frank is with her, everywhere. She isn't the best student and struggles after high school ends. Readers will connect with her sympathetically after a horrifying (and inappropriate) encounter with an older man. Her family believes that her behavior stems from not going to her father's funeral and that's probably true, along with a few other things. She's picked on at school through a long duration of specifically targeted pranks. However, she survives. It isn't easy for her, discovering herself and her place in the world, but she goes on to win a scholarship to the same college her dad attended, following in his nearly forgotten footsteps.

 

Toby is the second most imaginative child and was quite young when Frank passed. He becomes a pretty troubled young man. Beginning with an unfortunate accident with a chain saw, leaving him with a disfigured hand and the status of an outsider. Readers will understand his outbursts and misguided sense of morality. Though he seems to be a good kid, his life becomes increasingly hard. Toby turns to breaking and entering to make him feel like he has a father. He disappears into homes, hiding, pretending, dreaming of a different world. Often, leaving with a small memento, which gets him caught by the police. He ends up in a juvenile detention center and hope slowly erodes to fear. Readers will be appalled at what happens to Toby. I know my jaw dropped open for a full minute. A difficult ending for a difficult young boy. 

 

Margot is the least imaginative of the children, but still feels her father with her at times. She turns from her family, needing to escape the darkness. But without a guiding light, Margot stumbles upon tough times as well. She's a smart girl who dabbles in acting, like her father. She chooses this path to be close to him again and finds that the feeling of connection is fleeting. Margot attends a community college and is reconnected with a girl from high school. This situation leads to her meeting Art and consequently getting married, though I'm not sure if she loves him or just felt like it was the next step. Margot then has a baby and experiences post-partum depression. Readers will connect with Margot through these struggles. I think out of all the characters, Margot is the only one that achieves happiness within the novel's confines.

 

Ruth doesn't garner much attention throughout the novel. She dates a bit after Frank passes, but her love is for him. It's obvious that she misses him and struggles to make enough money to provide for her children after he's gone. The novel ends with a dreamed conversation between Ruth and Frank, after the children have all reached their final places. These shared words will truly touch the hearts of readers, solidifying their connection with the family as a whole. After Dad is an account of one family's history without apologies, without a sweet dusting of sugar. It's real and uncertain. It's simultaneously sad and hopeful. And it isn't for everyone. The level of emotion and certain situations are only for the mature reader though the connection created between characters and readers is definitely one of strength.

 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

The Gravity-Assist Technique

Ella was just taking the dog to the woods. She didn’t intend on becoming a peeper, and she couldn’t foresee how it would alter everything, especially her friendship with Kevin.
In 'The Gravity-Assist Technique', Ella and Kevin each tell the story of their past, and map the small decisions and unintended consequences that led from then to now. It is a story about friends, family, loss, love, trust, and how our individual choices affect each other's lives.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

As I understood it, The Gravity-Assist Technique is a complex calculation that uses gravity of other planets to project a satellite into a specific direction. That idea is adapted by Dalene Flannigan and transposed onto the characters in her novel named after the phenomenon. After her husband dies, Ella is lost. Slowly over the course of three years, she comes back to herself. But, tragedy is random and it can strike more than once in different forms.

 

Ella and Kevin take turns playing narrator in The Gravity-Assist Technique. Ella is a 43 year-old woman who suffered the tragic loss of her husband to a car accident. Her daughter is off to college and she suddenly finds herself alone. The loss that Ella has already experienced will immediately draw readers to her side. They'll understand and empathize with her plight. Ella is a strong woman who fights to keep the darkness at bay. She's hopeful for the future, insistent on becoming a whole person again.

 

Kevin is the cousin and best friend of Ella's deceased husband, Aaron, and he has always been in love with her. After Aaron's death, Kevin focuses on providing Ella with all the help she could possibly need. Lost in his focus to take care of Ella, Kevin moves away from his wife. Though readers will understand the necessary business after a death, they will also understand the hurt and abandonment that his wife, Beth, is feeling. Kevin is a good man. He doesn't lie. He doesn't cheat. Though readers won't truly begin to connect to him until they know the details of his love and support for Ella and see that without a little 'gravity-assist' he would forever stay dedicated to his wife.

 

Blame is a fickle concept and Dalene Flannigan makes it tough on readers to cast it. Which, of course, makes for a very interesting story. One afternoon is all it takes to turn a life upside down. When Ella takes her daughter's dog for a walk and spots Kevin's wife and a  strange man kissing on the back patio of a beautiful house near her own, she is mortified. She begins to think that Beth simply had a slip, made a mistake and stumbled but would find her way back to Kevin. When Beth reveals that she is pregnant, Ella begins to doubt everything that Beth says. What if it isn't Kevin's child? Then a lightning bolt strikes and Ella realizes that she's in love with Kevin. She can't say anything, of course she can't. But are her hands truly tied? Flannigan takes readers on a travel from loss to love, using The Gravity-Assist Technique to propel characters toward their fated destination.

Rating: 4/5 Cups