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No-Count Charlie is the ultimate dysfunctional
man within a profoundly dysfunctional family. The deck is stacked against him
from the beginning. Victimized and bullied by his brute like father, Charlie
grows up confused and disoriented. His normal reaction to the stresses of
life is to run away from them. His mother, in an attempt to compensate with
mother love, overdoes it and lures him into a mother fixation which further
defeats his coming of age. Charlie becomes the personification of Oedipus.
Even a lovely and loving childhood sweetheart cannot draw him out of his
convoluted fantasies. Set on Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, Willie Gaffer's No-Count-Charlie is the compelling novel of a man who grows up in a dysfunctional family, with a bullying father and an overcompensating mother who brings about an Oedipal fixation in the protagonist. When his mother falls ill with terminal cancer, the stress of caring for her weighs heavily upon him, especially since his natural inclination when confronted by strife is to run and hide. No-Count-Charlie is an exceptionally well presented tale about the warps of a disjointed human spirit, and the tumultuous journey that brings one to the coming of age. A most fascinating human drama, No-Count-Charlie is highly recommended and rewarding reading. If you are a book lover, a visit to Midwest Book
Review's website will be a rewarding experience. Give it a look. Another boutique publisher, Wesoomi Publishing (PO Box 656, Ortonville, MI 48462) is offering No-Count-Charlie by Willie Gaffer ($24.95). This is not a pleasant story. It is about a dysfunctional family and a dysfunctional son who dotes on his mother who, in turn, is dying from cancer. The deck is stacked against the main character and, frankly, this is a painful book to read. Bookviews is another great place for book lovers. |
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