Silhouette
by Paul G. Swingle
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GENRE: Literary Fiction
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BLURB:
On
the night of a blue moon, while walking his dog, middle-aged widower Jim sees
Gladys on the roof of a neighboring apartment building and is inspired to speak
with her. There’s just one problem: she can’t hear him.
Indeed, Jim isn’t even
sure that Gladys truly exists—that she isn’t just a rooftop patio umbrella
silhouetted against the moon. Hampered by debilitating social anxiety, he
cannot work up the courage to even wave.
Yet Jim returns to the
same spot night after night, and Gladys—who is indeed real—sees him and becomes
equally interested. She even contributes to their “conversation,” though he
cannot hear her either. And while Gladys struggles with her own
demons—self-loathing and depression—she is lifted by Jim’s attention, even as
she describes how difficult her life has been.
Two characters, driven
by sadness and a longing to connect. Will they?
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Excerpt One:
Tonight, I saw a rooftop patio umbrella move. Or was it a
woman? It’s May 31, the night of the blue moon. I was taking my dog Gus for his
nightly walk. On the rooftop of a building across the street from my apartment,
against the light of the huge moon, I saw the silhouette of a patio umbrella.
I’d been seeing that umbrella on that roof for weeks—months, maybe. Every time
I walked the dog or snuck a puff on my cigar, it was there. Immobile and
static. Always in the same place, always visible against either the daytime sky
or the city-lit night. I had thought nothing of it, other than wondering if
anyone ever used that patio. But tonight, I saw the umbrella silhouette move.
“Son of a bitch,” I said. “What the hell is that? Was it the wind?” Startled, I
tried to shake off an eerie feeling. Had the umbrella really moved? I don’t
care for rooftop patios myself. I’ve been to 4 a few. You have to drag yourself
up the stairs, hoping no one else is there when you arrive, so you can have a
bit of solace. I always forget something downstairs.
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Review: It all started with a silhouette—an umbrella silhouette on a rooftop patio. It moved that night…or so the man walking his dog thought.
Jim and Glady were two lonely souls just watching each other from afar. They were both self-deprecating individuals, always downgrading themselves and not feeling worthy of much. Each character POV section read like an ode to the other nameless, faceless character. He was “John” of course, and she was “the silhouette.” The diary prose was reflective and poetic with the whole thing pretty much reading almost like haiku. At times, the narrative seemed to be a constant drone of random thoughts. Quite honestly, the whole thing felt uneventful to me. It was like reading a bunch of love letters. It was nice and decent, but it wasn’t that captivating for me.
Rating:
3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Dr. Paul G. Swingle can be considered one of the founding fathers of Clinical Psychoneurophysiology, one of a select few, directly responsible for bringing Neurotherapy out of university labs and clinics to the general populace in the 1980’s.
His academic
positions include, Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa from
1972 to 1997, Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School from 1991 to
1998, Associate Attending Psychologist at McLean Hospital (Boston), Head of the
Clinical Psychophysiology Service McLean Hospital (Boston). Professor Swingle
was also Clinical Supervisor at the University of Ottawa from 1987 to 1997 and Chairman
of the Faculty of Child Psychology from 1972 to 1977. Dr. Swingle is a
Registered Psychologist in British Columbia and is Board Certified in
Biofeedback and Neurotherapy. He is actively involved in research and practice.
His numerous publications include nine books and numerous peer reviewed journal
publications.
https://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Paul-G-Swingle/dp/B09C3D527K
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61878792
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GIVEAWAY
Paul G. Swingle will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC
to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
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