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On/Off - A Jekyll and Hyde Story
An experimental brain implant has freed college freshman Jamie Pepper from the symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease. But while his body is under his command, his mind may be out of control.
"If this works, it will let you live again." Those words convince eighteen-year-old Jamie Pepper to undergo a risky operation to treat the debilitating symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease. Within months his world is changed for the better. By the fall his college plans are back on track.
Yet as Jamie enters the world of college, embarking on his studies and an exciting new romance, visions from his past, and flashes from an unfamiliar present suggest that all is not as it would appear. Has Jamie been prowling in the night when he thinks he's been sleeping? And if so, is there now blood on his hands?
On/Off follows a young man as he explores modern college life, the realms of the body and the mind, and the ways the past can sneak up and scramble even the most carefully plotted plans for the future.
What readers are saying about Mike Attebery's
"Intense scenes are balanced with believable dialogue and humorous moments that you can identify with."
"More than just another sex-fueled college romp, this provocative trip down the rabbit hole is packed with clever interactions, tense scenarios, and wonderfully defined characters. A dense psychological thriller that translates the fears and anxieties of young adulthood into a modern identity-bender."
"This book is creepy and sensual, two of my favorite things. Along with being an engrossing tale of horror, the characters and setting bring the reader back to those special school years of drunken love and fun."
"Upped the ante with great character development. A potent and punchy storyline."
"He builds vivid characters, draws them into complex interactions and moves things along at a blistering pace."
"The characters can really make or break a book for me, and these each (even the supporting characters) had a complexity that kept me interested and caring what choices they made and what happened to them."
"If this works, it will let you live again." Those words convince eighteen-year-old Jamie Pepper to undergo a risky operation to treat the debilitating symptoms of early-onset Parkinson's disease. Within months his world is changed for the better. By the fall his college plans are back on track.
Yet as Jamie enters the world of college, embarking on his studies and an exciting new romance, visions from his past, and flashes from an unfamiliar present suggest that all is not as it would appear. Has Jamie been prowling in the night when he thinks he's been sleeping? And if so, is there now blood on his hands?
On/Off follows a young man as he explores modern college life, the realms of the body and the mind, and the ways the past can sneak up and scramble even the most carefully plotted plans for the future.
What readers are saying about Mike Attebery's
"Intense scenes are balanced with believable dialogue and humorous moments that you can identify with."
"More than just another sex-fueled college romp, this provocative trip down the rabbit hole is packed with clever interactions, tense scenarios, and wonderfully defined characters. A dense psychological thriller that translates the fears and anxieties of young adulthood into a modern identity-bender."
"This book is creepy and sensual, two of my favorite things. Along with being an engrossing tale of horror, the characters and setting bring the reader back to those special school years of drunken love and fun."
"Upped the ante with great character development. A potent and punchy storyline."
"He builds vivid characters, draws them into complex interactions and moves things along at a blistering pace."
"The characters can really make or break a book for me, and these each (even the supporting characters) had a complexity that kept me interested and caring what choices they made and what happened to them."
333 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2008
10 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Mike Attebery
21 books9 followersMike Attebery is the author of ten novels, including The Grimwood Trilogy, Chokecherry Canyon, Firepower, Seattle On Ice, Bloody Pulp, and Rosé in Saint Tropez. He lives with his family on an island off the coast of Washington State.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 24, 2012
Jamie & Kelli
Really liked this story.
"The Pepper home echoed with ghosts. Unborn children. Forgotten promises. The whisper of secrets behind the reflections on rippled glass windows."
"The wind cut through his clothes. Even his wool hat did little good, the air slicing through it like icy needles, hitting his scars and making them tingle. He hated the feeling, but found it somehow exhilarating."
"Trying times and hostile surroundings produced great art. Right? He'd have to remind himself of that."
"College dorms are like space stations orbiting the planet, their inhabitants studying history and current events with finely tuned instruments and unforgiving eyes, all the while remaining safely isolated from the very events they're busy observing for meaning. But that's the way it sould be. That's the only environment where youthful idealism has the space and ability to grow, while still letting students find their footing in the turbulent emotions of adulthood."
"He closed his eyes, chewing slowly, picturing the implant in his head, wondering what it looked like nestled into those tissues, deep in the darkness of his brain. He pictured it sparking and humming, keeping everything in line, fighting to maintain control. Now and then an errant signal tried to break through, and the implant shot it down with a wild, spidery blast of electricity, like something from Frankenstein's lab. Suddenly, Jamie remembered that scene from The Bride of Frankenstein, where the creature finds the old blind man in the cabin who tells him, 'Before you arrived, I was all alone.' 'Alone bad,' the Creature rumbled. 'Friend good.'"
"It was in the moments when he was visibly forcing himself to recover that she caught a glimpse of his personality - as though he were looking at his pain in the distance, staring it down into submission. He wasn't a victim of the pain, he was fighting against it. Yet, the lines at the corners of his eyes, the look of constent pressure, both told her that he'd been going through this for some time, that something in his life was slowly taking its toll on his body. He was like a young boy, holding his arm in pain after a fall from a tree, rubbing his elbow tenderly as he glared up through the enemy branches. She understood what he felt, and she wanted to see him again."
"Her lips tasted of fresh water, with a twist, as her tongue his his like vodka - sharp, and clean, and utterly intoxicating."
"Kelli did something that changed things in a way she never could have expected. As she pulled the blanket over them, she kissed Jamie hard on the mouth, then reached up, and removed his hat."
"He knew pain. Knew how it felt to have something intruding in your body. He lifted his hand to his head. They say pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Are nightmares the same?"
Really liked this story.
"The Pepper home echoed with ghosts. Unborn children. Forgotten promises. The whisper of secrets behind the reflections on rippled glass windows."
"The wind cut through his clothes. Even his wool hat did little good, the air slicing through it like icy needles, hitting his scars and making them tingle. He hated the feeling, but found it somehow exhilarating."
"Trying times and hostile surroundings produced great art. Right? He'd have to remind himself of that."
"College dorms are like space stations orbiting the planet, their inhabitants studying history and current events with finely tuned instruments and unforgiving eyes, all the while remaining safely isolated from the very events they're busy observing for meaning. But that's the way it sould be. That's the only environment where youthful idealism has the space and ability to grow, while still letting students find their footing in the turbulent emotions of adulthood."
"He closed his eyes, chewing slowly, picturing the implant in his head, wondering what it looked like nestled into those tissues, deep in the darkness of his brain. He pictured it sparking and humming, keeping everything in line, fighting to maintain control. Now and then an errant signal tried to break through, and the implant shot it down with a wild, spidery blast of electricity, like something from Frankenstein's lab. Suddenly, Jamie remembered that scene from The Bride of Frankenstein, where the creature finds the old blind man in the cabin who tells him, 'Before you arrived, I was all alone.' 'Alone bad,' the Creature rumbled. 'Friend good.'"
"It was in the moments when he was visibly forcing himself to recover that she caught a glimpse of his personality - as though he were looking at his pain in the distance, staring it down into submission. He wasn't a victim of the pain, he was fighting against it. Yet, the lines at the corners of his eyes, the look of constent pressure, both told her that he'd been going through this for some time, that something in his life was slowly taking its toll on his body. He was like a young boy, holding his arm in pain after a fall from a tree, rubbing his elbow tenderly as he glared up through the enemy branches. She understood what he felt, and she wanted to see him again."
"Her lips tasted of fresh water, with a twist, as her tongue his his like vodka - sharp, and clean, and utterly intoxicating."
"Kelli did something that changed things in a way she never could have expected. As she pulled the blanket over them, she kissed Jamie hard on the mouth, then reached up, and removed his hat."
"He knew pain. Knew how it felt to have something intruding in your body. He lifted his hand to his head. They say pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. Are nightmares the same?"
October 23, 2012
I loved the flow of this story and undoubtedly would have given it a higher rating had there not been so much left unresolved/unexplained.
March 3, 2024
I strongly dislike the way this author writes about women. And he needs a bigger vocabulary.
June 19, 2009
This book is creepy, and Sensual, two of my favorite things. Along with being an engrossing tale of horror, the characters and setting bring the reader back to those special school years of drunken love and fun. Terrific Beach Reading!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews