Title: The Juke
Author: Ted Persinger
Genre: Dark Fiction
Publication Date: November 29, 2015
About the Book
Who is a man when he loses everything?
Fire destroys and fire creates…
We wonder, don’t we, at the people we see on the streets? The homeless. Unfortunate souls. Addicts. Violent felons. What compels them? How did they end up there? How does a person find himself holding a gun and committing a crime? Shooting heroin from a dirty needle? We avoid them, turning our faces away from the sight of them, hoping the courts will warehouse them so we are safe in our middle class lives.
Frank Joseph is successful by any measure. Family. Career. Church. He has what anybody would want. All that ends one night, and his life takes a new direction…a drastic course change. Facing the fires of life’s trials, he is consumed by the heat…so he flees justice. He becomes a new man wearing a new mask. But who will he be? How will he adjust to the new lives he finds himself living? How will he care for the ones he loves?
The Juke is a tragedy, exploring Frank’s descent from “success” to the darkest corners of society. He finds himself living places he could never have imagined. Along the way he builds new love, a new family, and a new life. Will he survive the ghosts of his past? Is he locked in a pattern of self-destruction?
My Review
I received a copy of The Juke for an honest review.
I picked up this book thinking that I would read a couple chapters before I went to bed. I didn’t go to bed nearly as early as I usually do because this is one of the few books I could not put down until I was finished. I had to know what happened next. I so wanted things to work out for Frank.
The Juke really makes a person think. Frank thought he was a successful man with a happy home, supportive church, and good friends. One night is all it took for his life to descend into a spiral. He finds out just who he can, or can’t, depend on in his hour of need. And then things really fall apart!
The character of Frank is well developed and I could understand why he did everything he did. He had to deal with so much and, although he made some poor choices, I was impressed how he was able to finally turn his life around. But then, it’s hard to escape your past.
The Juke is dark and depressing and I loved it. I like Ted Persinger’s writing and the ending took me by surprise. I definitely recommend this book!
Available on Amazon
About the Author
I was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. I spent my high school years under-achieving academically, while simultaneously trying my hand in music. I played in a few bands, but enjoyed little success (but had a LOT of fun!). I joined the Air Force at the ripe old age of 20, really more in the hope of getting some basic skills. I found myself 24 years later retiring. Throughout my long career, I found myself reading and dreaming of becoming a writer, though my work always got in the way.
After a short time in the private sector, which I didn’t enjoy, I moved overseas and became a high school English teacher in international schools. I spent most of my time based in Thailand, but traveled throughout Europe and Asia. The work was fantastic, the students were wonderful, and I enjoyed my time immensely. Traveling and seeing the world is every bit as amazing as it sounds.
Being an English teacher forced me to dig in deeply to literature, far more than I had ever before. Over the 5 years I taught, I gained much greater insights into what writing really is. I think it took being an English teacher to inspire me and provide the discernment I needed to finally write. I now see a path to putting my amorphous ideas into a (hopefully) readable structure.
Bound 4 Escape