Scenes and Characters to Highlight
Some weeks ago, I received a standard questionaire–well, I assume it’s standard since I’ve never received one before–from the publicist. Among the topics was the request to highlight a scene or two and/or a character or two from Wandering West. One might think such a task would require more than a little perusing of the novel to joggle my memory, a memory that I have often declared to be good, just short.
I had no such problem locating the needle in this haystack. We’re talking about Wandering West, after all, a novel with many a highlight. Right? Heck yeah, right. The only problem is: which one to pick. The sun shines brightly on this glistening heap of straw. It’s like choosing which star twinkles brightest against a moonless, inky sky. But I have my eye fixed, however squinted, upon a particular star–err needle. I know exactly which scenes and which characters I want to draw attention to.
They can be found in Chapter 3. The particular highlight I chose is all of Chapter 3. A lot goes on in these seven or eight pages. They lay the foundation for the rest of the story. Here, we learn a great deal more about Jack, the protagonist, how he had suffered along with his wife while she lay dying, how he grieves still long after her death. The scandal that destroyed Jack’s Wall Street career is explained in more detail. We learn how he still grapples with its consequences. The death of his beloved wife and the destruction of his once-stellar career are what have brought him to this time and this place now. We begin to understand why Jack’s state of mind is what it is. He wrestles with his inner demons, some of which he has lived with for years while others have sprung to life from his recent past. We get the sense that more are yet to surface.
Jack’s son, Jackson–no pun intended–is introduced in Chapter 3. Their relationship is fleshed out, and the family dynamic is put into high gear. The chapter ends with the rather cryptic discussion of Jack’s other son, Johnny. This conversation begs many a question, but you’ll need to read Chapter 4 and beyond to learn about all that. I hope you will. Jack’s struggles have only begun to manifest themselves, his demons only beginning to haunt.
Let me make one small yet significant suggestion, if I may: start with the Prologue, and then proceed with Chapters 1 and 2 before dancing into Chapter 3. There are plenty of needles to pluck from the haystack and stars at which to gaze. You won’t want to miss them.