Fiction
Muckydum: The Story of a Haunted Man
Stephen Chiarelli
2012
EBook
Muckydum: The Story of a Haunted Manis the tale of a man who dissolves a " family malediction " by owning his actions and confronting his family ' s history. This story has several surprises that will astound and inspire the preacher. Muckydum is a love story in the most severe profile, filled with life lessons about family and loss.
Bill Hammond is an amazing man by ordinary standards. He has never had umpteen friends, so his life has comprised mainly of the stories he formulated in his head. Proximate his parents ' deaths, Bill used the stories he wrote in his journals during his lusty girlhood to create two novels that became hugely successful and allowed him to conscious independently. Over an sexy, Bill has no one significant in his life until he reaches his thirties and meets Joanie. She brings calm and joy to his life. Soon after they marry, Joanie becomes pregnant. In response to his persistent writer ' s block, Bill acquires a job as a professor at the local college directly across the street from his home. With a secure stream of income in place, the couple anxiously awaits the birth of their child. But what is expected to be a lifetime of happiness, soon turns into a nightmare after their daughter, Nancy, is born.
There is a supernatural element to the book that may initially throw the reader off balance. Even though the subtitle states clearly that the protagonist is " haunted ", Chiarelli ' s descriptions of the daily hauntings Bill endures are so frightening, one expects him to be harmed by the monster that is tormenting him in his home. But, as Bill tells the story of his life to his editor, Breanna, who is also the daughter of his late wife ' s best friend, a remarkably clear and realistic picture of Bill ' s difficult life emerges. It reveals his response to a family curse and the loss of the only woman he ever loved.
Chiarelli literally weaves the strands of this story together as he guides the reader through Bill ' s failed attempt to help a troubled student and his confession to Breanna about the decisions he made concerning his troubled wife. The author takes the reader on a ride back and forth through Bill ' s history, ending with the promise of a future that will not include fear or heartbreak. The unexpected twists in this story are both disturbing and awe inspiring; they display Chiarelli ' s talent in building suspense by giving readers just enough information to hold their interests until he is ready to drop the full weight of the truth at their feet. It is a skill that few writers possess. Chiarelli has mastered it.
Muckydum: The Story of a Haunted Manis an exceptional read. I highly recommend it.
