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Undrawn
Kyle Reed stands on the verge of his lifelong dream of artistic immortality when a call from his estranged older brother Stuart puts a halt to everything in his carefully constructed life. Kyle faces the impossible decision to go back “home” and attempt to undo the many painful choices he made that severed his ties with his family and the woman he once loved. As he steps into the house he grew up in, Kyle revisits the lives he led. He walks through the elegant rooms where he learned to keep quiet to avoid his father’s temper, and the debilitating disease that opened the doorway to his art. In his journey through his past, he assesses the perilous habits that distanced him from his family, the bitter enmities that still ravage his peace, and the surprising loyalty he finds in the people who surround him. Kyle juggles with the present and the past, he clings to sanity through his art, the passion that has become his true north. Between the sculptures and images that fill his spaces and canvases, lie the crucial aspects of his life that he’s been avoiding for the icon he destroyed, the crime that still fills him with shame, and the forgiveness he never offered…or received.
- GenresFictionContemporary
218 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2011
8 people are currently reading
412 people want to read
About the author
Conchie Fernandez
2 books35 followersConchie Fernandez was born in the Dominican Republic. She was an editor for "Touring", a tourism newspaper printed in English and Spanish, for several years. She later translated and edited the panels for the Altos de Chavon Museum of Archaeology and taught Creative Writing at Casa Chavon, an affiliate of the Altos de Chavon School of Design and the Parsons School of Design.
She moved to the United States in 2006 and lives in Florida.
"Undrawn" is her first published novel.
She moved to the United States in 2006 and lives in Florida.
"Undrawn" is her first published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 26, 2011
This is the story of Kyle Reed his story begins with him returning home to his parents house after a long absence. His father is dying and we see him struggling with his emotions surrounding this and his reasons for being absent for so long. Something big and bad has happened in Kyle's past, something his family haven't quite forgiven him for, something he hasn't forgiven himself for. Through a series of flashbacks dating back to childhood and through his college years and adulthood we find out who Kyle is and why he is the way he is.
I found the book to be a very good read, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The writing is very good making you feel as though you really know what Kyle is going through. The pages pass by quickly and easily.
The main sticking point for me was that when the huge thing in kyle's past was revealed it wasn't given much time or explanation. I would have liked to know more about how he felt about it at the time, how other people reacted, how he got to the point at the beginning of the book. It just felt a bit insignificant after the big build up.
Overall a very enjoyable read.
I received this book free from Goodreads first reads.
I found the book to be a very good read, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The writing is very good making you feel as though you really know what Kyle is going through. The pages pass by quickly and easily.
The main sticking point for me was that when the huge thing in kyle's past was revealed it wasn't given much time or explanation. I would have liked to know more about how he felt about it at the time, how other people reacted, how he got to the point at the beginning of the book. It just felt a bit insignificant after the big build up.
Overall a very enjoyable read.
I received this book free from Goodreads first reads.
November 30, 2011
Undrawn, is an incredible story with a terrific author behind it. The author’s depiction of this privileged Reed family was brilliant. The reader can identify with the tragedy that occurs when family ties are broken and the attempts to try and mend them. One could almost see the stain on the polished political carpet that was seen as the rebellious middle child known as Kyle Reed. In a family with three distinct sons, there had to be one who left the pack to do his own thing, and so Kyle did. From the moment, he dips his fingers into paint as a little boy; the reader is taken on a tragic yet purposeful journey of this ostracized son. He plants his own path and respectfully creates his own success through his paintings, which are what brought him a form of peace in his younger years when he knew he was different from his peers. Kyle will always be a permanent image on the canvas of my mind as a genius artist battling with demons on his way to, not just the top, but to peace and resolution.
August 16, 2011
Conchie Fernandez does a great job in giving us a window into an artist's tortured soul. I fell in love with Kyle, the main character, his struggles and the obstacles he has to overcome just makes the reader push for his success on every step of his emotional journey. He is flawed in so many ways, as we all are, but his only ambition is to be his own person and follow his own destiny instead of the path his family had chosen for him. This is a compelling and thought provoking story that is also beautifully written. Definitely a page turner full of mystery, intrigue and poetry. I definitely recommend it, this is a must read.
July 10, 2011
On a whim, I decided to enter to win this book, and I won a free copy. And I am really glad I won. Once I started reading this book, it was seriously hard to put it down. The story was just told so well and organized in a way that keeps the reader guessing what's going to come next. This book was one of those page-turning books that actually had depth and an interesting story line.
A+ to Conchie Fernandez on her first novel!
A+ to Conchie Fernandez on her first novel!
October 7, 2011
Conchie Fernandez's novel, Undrawn, offers that Indy-e-Pub rarity, a well-written, expertly edited, bona fide page-turner. Readers who appreciate getting lost in a Dominic Dunne-esque gilded universe populated by the uber-rich and politically powerful--and who relish witnessing its hidden, corrosive underside--will take to Fernandez's convincingly rendered drama of the dynastic Reed family. Boston Brahmans and American oligarchs, Reed family connections, we soon learn (thanks to the author's talent for telling detail), reach all the way to the United States Senate.
Fernandez skillfully anchors her story in a fully fleshed protagonist who gets the story off and running from page one. Artist and Reed family black sheep, Kyle Davidson Reed is presented as a man who at nearly forty remains haunted by a string of youthful disasters (a mélange of failed and abusive relationships, substance abuse, brushes with the law)--as well as chronic illness, and long-standing familial alienation. Summoned home after a four-year absence by the terminal illness of the family patriarch, ex-Senator, Brandon Whitman Reed, any hope Kyle harbors for reconciliation with his father is quickly dashed by the senior Reed's demise. In short order, Kyle finds himself embroiled anew in a long-standing bitter conflict with older brother and heir-apparent to the Reed family legacy, Senator Stuart Reed.
As rendered by Fernandez, Kyle Reed hangs by reason of self-disgust on a cross from which no amount of professional success as an artist can save him (that Fernandez exploits the crucifixion motive more than once in her characters' paintings seems a forgivable cliché). What Fernandez manages to portray without cliché or heavy-handedness is a man in self-imposed exile--a man who stands apart from those ready and willing to help end his suffering. These include Troy, his gay brother, niece Jeannie, and love-interest, Shorty--a woman whose relentless efforts at intimacy Kyle seems determined to resist. That this cast of supporting characters arrives on the page fully alive is a testament to Fernandez's talent. Likewise, that she is able to orchestrate a satisfyingly self-redemptive resolution to Kyle's story underscores her expertise as a storyteller and (barring a short stretch of summary in the last quarter of the novel) her mastery of technique.
Sit down with Conchie Fernandez's Undrawn and you may be surprised, as was this reader, at how quickly the hours fly.
Jack Andrew Urquhart is the author of the inter-connected story collection, So They Say Stories Volume 1 Follow him on Twitter @JackAUrquhart
Fernandez skillfully anchors her story in a fully fleshed protagonist who gets the story off and running from page one. Artist and Reed family black sheep, Kyle Davidson Reed is presented as a man who at nearly forty remains haunted by a string of youthful disasters (a mélange of failed and abusive relationships, substance abuse, brushes with the law)--as well as chronic illness, and long-standing familial alienation. Summoned home after a four-year absence by the terminal illness of the family patriarch, ex-Senator, Brandon Whitman Reed, any hope Kyle harbors for reconciliation with his father is quickly dashed by the senior Reed's demise. In short order, Kyle finds himself embroiled anew in a long-standing bitter conflict with older brother and heir-apparent to the Reed family legacy, Senator Stuart Reed.
As rendered by Fernandez, Kyle Reed hangs by reason of self-disgust on a cross from which no amount of professional success as an artist can save him (that Fernandez exploits the crucifixion motive more than once in her characters' paintings seems a forgivable cliché). What Fernandez manages to portray without cliché or heavy-handedness is a man in self-imposed exile--a man who stands apart from those ready and willing to help end his suffering. These include Troy, his gay brother, niece Jeannie, and love-interest, Shorty--a woman whose relentless efforts at intimacy Kyle seems determined to resist. That this cast of supporting characters arrives on the page fully alive is a testament to Fernandez's talent. Likewise, that she is able to orchestrate a satisfyingly self-redemptive resolution to Kyle's story underscores her expertise as a storyteller and (barring a short stretch of summary in the last quarter of the novel) her mastery of technique.
Sit down with Conchie Fernandez's Undrawn and you may be surprised, as was this reader, at how quickly the hours fly.
Jack Andrew Urquhart is the author of the inter-connected story collection, So They Say Stories Volume 1 Follow him on Twitter @JackAUrquhart
February 22, 2014
Disclosure: I received this Kindle version book on an author giveaway day.
Honestly, have you every let something sit on the shelf too long? That is what happened here. I wish I would have read it right away. I usually have an email back up to let me know how I received a book. This time, I only had the tags (shelves on GoodReads) that I set up when I got it. So this review isn't timely. Sorry.
I have a problem reading contemporary books. They are too real. I like to read to escape everyday situations like family dysfunction and death and how those two problems play out in real life. And though this book is well-written, this is what jumped out at me: dysfunctional, rich family with high expectations. Throw into that a gay son, another son who would rather pursue his art, who won't be following into law school, who has diabetes (type 1)... bossy oldest brother... Real life. I suppose if you are living in an enchanted land this would be the story for you. For me? Depressing.
The author, Conchie Fernandez, has made the kind of book you don't want to put down. You want to see what will happen. You want to see if there are any redeemable moments for any of the characters. So I would guess that it is hope that drives the book. Ms. Fernandez's characters are realistic. Her research seems strong yet subdued. It is a quick read and inspires me want to paint.
As I said before if you are escaping reality, death, cussing, etc. this isn't for you. If you want to read good writing, great characters, enjoy!
Honestly, have you every let something sit on the shelf too long? That is what happened here. I wish I would have read it right away. I usually have an email back up to let me know how I received a book. This time, I only had the tags (shelves on GoodReads) that I set up when I got it. So this review isn't timely. Sorry.
I have a problem reading contemporary books. They are too real. I like to read to escape everyday situations like family dysfunction and death and how those two problems play out in real life. And though this book is well-written, this is what jumped out at me: dysfunctional, rich family with high expectations. Throw into that a gay son, another son who would rather pursue his art, who won't be following into law school, who has diabetes (type 1)... bossy oldest brother... Real life. I suppose if you are living in an enchanted land this would be the story for you. For me? Depressing.
The author, Conchie Fernandez, has made the kind of book you don't want to put down. You want to see what will happen. You want to see if there are any redeemable moments for any of the characters. So I would guess that it is hope that drives the book. Ms. Fernandez's characters are realistic. Her research seems strong yet subdued. It is a quick read and inspires me want to paint.
As I said before if you are escaping reality, death, cussing, etc. this isn't for you. If you want to read good writing, great characters, enjoy!
July 15, 2013
Let me start of this review with a warning. If you don't like a LOT of cussing in books do not pick this up. The overuse of the F word and GD got really old, really fast. The fact that GD was used 5 times in a few sentences once almost made me just put the whole book down but I was almost finished so I stuck with it. I know some people don't like either of those words at all in a book so fair warning.
Okay so this was about an artist from a rich family who "gets away" I guess and goes back home when his father dies. He has some sort of bad past that you learn about in the first few pages of the book then you don't learn about it until the very end. The surprise past was not worth finding out about even!
The book skips back and fourth from present to past a lot and it gets confusing because you have no idea from one paragraph to the next where you are in the story. It felt like a cop out, like the author could find no other way for us to find out about Kyle's past.
I never connected with Kyle at all his character just seemed very flat to me. The author also would randomly throw in large words that didn't even make sense the way they were used. If you are going to throw them in you should make sure the meaning is correct.
Overall the only thing I am happy about is that when I did get this book it was free.
Okay so this was about an artist from a rich family who "gets away" I guess and goes back home when his father dies. He has some sort of bad past that you learn about in the first few pages of the book then you don't learn about it until the very end. The surprise past was not worth finding out about even!
The book skips back and fourth from present to past a lot and it gets confusing because you have no idea from one paragraph to the next where you are in the story. It felt like a cop out, like the author could find no other way for us to find out about Kyle's past.
I never connected with Kyle at all his character just seemed very flat to me. The author also would randomly throw in large words that didn't even make sense the way they were used. If you are going to throw them in you should make sure the meaning is correct.
Overall the only thing I am happy about is that when I did get this book it was free.
September 12, 2014
I loved this book. I picked it up this morning and just finished reading it after only stopping for food. I don’t think it’s necessary to re write what the book is about, you can read that in the description. This book is about love, unfulfilled expectations, resentment, self-worth, anger and ultimately redemption. I cried a lot while reading this, but then again I am a crier. The main character was not someone I liked much at the beginning but he is compelling enough to draw you into his story and even when you scoff at him you just want to know more. So if you can give it a try , it’s a great debut novel from a great writer.
Conchie Fernandez was the first Dominican woman, besides my mother, I ever admired. She is the aunt of one of my best friends and from the first time I met ever I was in awe. She was independent and fabulous and funny and nice and she lived her life the way she wanted. To do all that in a country like ours is not easy and she made it seem so. I so wanted to be as brave and as fearless as her, and even though we haven’t seen each other in a while Undrawn just reinforces my belief in her greatness and I’m glad the rest of the world con enjoy it too.
Conchie Fernandez was the first Dominican woman, besides my mother, I ever admired. She is the aunt of one of my best friends and from the first time I met ever I was in awe. She was independent and fabulous and funny and nice and she lived her life the way she wanted. To do all that in a country like ours is not easy and she made it seem so. I so wanted to be as brave and as fearless as her, and even though we haven’t seen each other in a while Undrawn just reinforces my belief in her greatness and I’m glad the rest of the world con enjoy it too.
September 16, 2011
Debut novelist Conchie Fernandez has shown in her recent novel Undrawn that she is a voice deserving to be heard, and heard widely. Undrawn chronicles the present day story of the powerful Reed family. The central character is Kyle Reed, whose gifts and talents are unfathomable to his US Senator father Brandon Reed and his domineering older brother Stuart Reed (who also becomes a US Senator from Massachusetts). Even his gay younger brother Troy is more accepted in the family as Troy at least follows the approved Reed family script in becoming a Harvard educated lawyer.
Kyle suffers from juvenile diabetes and uses his condition as a way to distance himself from his peers and family alike. As Kyle's extraordinary artistic talents become apparent, he further separates himself geographically and emotionally from his family. His success as an artist belies his inner turmoil and Kyle descends into a drug-riddled pit, artfully told by Fernandez. The book (particularly the ending) is emotionally satisfying and thought provoking. I endorse this work.
Kyle suffers from juvenile diabetes and uses his condition as a way to distance himself from his peers and family alike. As Kyle's extraordinary artistic talents become apparent, he further separates himself geographically and emotionally from his family. His success as an artist belies his inner turmoil and Kyle descends into a drug-riddled pit, artfully told by Fernandez. The book (particularly the ending) is emotionally satisfying and thought provoking. I endorse this work.
May 5, 2014
This father-dominated family and Kyle reminded me of the Joseph Kennedy tribe and JFK. Here Kyle manages to break away from his father's career plans but suffers for it nevertheless. This is a well-told tale, on the depressive side, but believable. The choice of artist for the Kyle character was necessary since there was a great deal of internal angst, guilt, soul-searching, self-questioning and so forth that would have been 'over-the-top' for a normally grounded person. Money, success and artistic fulfilment didn't seem to have made the struggle worthwhile.
All together a good piece of work although the conclusion did feel a shade flat. But then maybe life's like that for the majority since early expectations are rarely totally met.
All together a good piece of work although the conclusion did feel a shade flat. But then maybe life's like that for the majority since early expectations are rarely totally met.
October 24, 2012
Built up to be a good story, but fell flat at the end.
October 25, 2012
This is about family turmoil and misunderstandings. I found the story to be very very sad. It took me longer than usual to read the entire book.
July 4, 2017
As a painter I suffered through this. We are all flawed, but not this flawed. Also not this brilliant.
Wish I could see his paintings, designs and the places. The writing is delicious, paintings with words. Gotta taste it.
Wish I could see his paintings, designs and the places. The writing is delicious, paintings with words. Gotta taste it.
January 12, 2019
I started this book a long time ago with a free preview. I finally had the opportunity to purchase it with some Kindle $$.. It isn't in any library in RI. It was well worth it. Nice writing.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews