In the Shape of a Man
By Paul Clayton
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Rosemary’s Baby meets Revolutionary Road...
on the border between the necropolis of Colma, home to over two million dead souls and 1,794 somewhat live ones -- and the gritty industrial working-class town of South City --
At 1015 Crestview, little seven-year-old Reynaldo cowers under the escalating abuse hurled by an adoptive mother who now sees him as a burden.
Allen, a workaholic Silicon Valley techie, seeks relief from domestic conflict by slipping away to sample the sweet brews at McCoy’s, a mysterious pub and Hell’s Angels hangout.
Up the street, young adults Rad and Tawny drift between the worlds of skateboarding and community activism, free love and commitment. Sampling Buddhism and squabbling with the relatives, they avoid thinking about the 15-foot Burmese python in their garage.
Does evil exist? Is it still with us? How would it manifest in modern life? This genre-bending novel of alienation and betrayal suggests that evil, as well as redemption, can come In the Shape of a Man.
Paul Clayton is the author of Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam, which was short listed for a 2001 Frankfurt eBook Award, along with works by Joyce Carol Oates and David McCullough.
“Society’s ambivalence about the value of children, and personal responsibility, creates drama in two neighboring households. The haunting story of little adopted Reynaldo will send you running to hug your kids.” -- Stephen Gallup, author of What About the Boy
Excerpt:
Reynaldo couldn’t sleep. He got out of bed and went out into the hallway. He saw Daddy sitting in front of the TV. Reynaldo looked back down the hallway at Christine’s door. He knew Mommy would not come out tonight. She would sleep in Christine’s room.
Reynaldo crept down to the living room. Daddy didn’t hear him approach as he watched the TV with his back to him. On the TV, an animal that looked like a large rat hurriedly crossed a jungle clearing. It came to a swamp and stood on its hind legs, quickly looking around, its little black animal eyes full of worry. It jumped into the water, making a splash, and started swimming. Somewhere else, a big snake raised its head at the sound. It slithered down the mud bank and entered the waters of the swamp. The rat thing looked around suddenly, sensing danger, then swam forward in a fury. The snake went under the water. Reynaldo watched open-mouthed as the water erupted and the coils of the snake engulfed the rat thing like huge thick ropes. The rat thing struggled frantically and the snake encircled it with more coils. Reynaldo saw the rat thing’s eyes full of fear and pleading. He imagined Mommy’s face on the rat thing as more coils encircled it, the look of fear freezing into a look of motionless nothingness. He watched, enthralled.
Read more from Paul Clayton
White Seed: The Untold Story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Hoax Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTalk to a Real, Live Girl and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrange Worlds Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Shape of a Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVan Ripplewink: You Can't Go Home Again Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blue World: Anunnaki Advent Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCarl Melcher Goes to Vietnam Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscape From the Future and Other Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to In the Shape of a Man
Related ebooks
The Easy Way Out: Detective McDaniel Thrillers, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blood Knows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFalling Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Boy From Under Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTerminus: Standalone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood Holdup Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Flash Story Collection: Collections Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSweet Seduction: The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series, #6 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Wears the Mask Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longer the Fall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCome Again No More: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When I Fall In Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClaiming One: A Collection of Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Letter: A dying man's desperate need for the truth . . . why did she leave him and is she still alive? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnlucky Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNext to Disappear: The Emily Swanson Series, #1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last Goodbye: Seaside Sisters Series, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WMG Starter Bundle Science Fiction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreeman Yellowbird: 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlymouth Sound Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhite Space Obsession Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForest Lake: Volume One: Forest Lake, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lawn: A James Lalonde Short Story: James Lalonde Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, #0 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMichael Row Your Boat Ashore: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKill Radio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gallows Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confluence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World Next Door Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Horror Fiction For You
The Watchers: a spine-chilling Gothic horror novel now adapted into a major motion picture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Authority: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Outsider: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Pictures: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dracula Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Days Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cycle of the Werewolf: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Brother Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Edgar Allan Poe Complete Collection - 120+ Tales, Poems Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Annihilation: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four Past Midnight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whisper Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Sematary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Heart Is a Chainsaw Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Am Legend Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Deep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Good Indians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hollow Places: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Needful Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for In the Shape of a Man
0 ratings0 reviews