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Man, Underground
As neighborhoods have grown up around the subterranean home of the narrator of Man, Underground , the city has initiated a review of his dwelling. Intent on ignoring the review process, his life is interrupted by a seventeen-year-old punk-inspired, Honor’s student. Every bit as eccentric as the narrator, Monika declares that she will be his accomplice in a battle against the city, fighting the righteous fight against “the Man” and the ostracization commonly weaponized against those seen as “the other.” As Monika creates “diversionary tactics” to focus the neighbors on other community concerns, the man she once only knew as “Mr. Underground Man” reluctantly begins to join in her idyllic and irrational protest movement that ultimately settles on a “yard art relocation” project. As an unlikely friendship begins to form, the two must come to face their tragic pasts and determine if they are capable of learning to trust others again. A fast-paced dark comedy, Man, Undergroun d will leave readers contemplating both the disruptions and the potential transformative power found in random acts of kindness.
260 pages, Paperback
Published October 17, 2023
1 person is currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Mark Hummel
5 books6 followersMark Hummel's newest novel is a dark comedy titled MAN, UNDERGROUND. It is available now for preorder through Regal House Publishing: https://regal-house-publishing.mybigc...
Mark Hummel is the author of the novel IN THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW and the story collection LOST AND FOUND. His short fiction, poetry, and essays have regularly appeared in literary magazines for over twenty years. Writing as Mark Leichliter, he is the author of a crime novel set in Northwest Montana: THE OTHER SIDE (learn more at www.markleichliter.com).
A twenty year veteran of teaching writing in college classrooms, he has also taught in a small, independent high school, served as the director of a Writers' Conference, worked as a librarian, and assisted many other writers as a freelance editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach. Hummel is the founding editor of the literary magazine bioStories (www.biostories.com).
Mark lives in Montana's beautiful Flathead Valley.
Mark Hummel is the author of the novel IN THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW and the story collection LOST AND FOUND. His short fiction, poetry, and essays have regularly appeared in literary magazines for over twenty years. Writing as Mark Leichliter, he is the author of a crime novel set in Northwest Montana: THE OTHER SIDE (learn more at www.markleichliter.com).
A twenty year veteran of teaching writing in college classrooms, he has also taught in a small, independent high school, served as the director of a Writers' Conference, worked as a librarian, and assisted many other writers as a freelance editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach. Hummel is the founding editor of the literary magazine bioStories (www.biostories.com).
Mark lives in Montana's beautiful Flathead Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 17, 2023
A story about the effects of cancel culture, about finding joy and yourself through the medium of friendship and the random acts of kindness that is responsible for saving everything.
The Man underground is a story about an unknown narrator who cuts himself through society by all means, living in a strange house and reliving every day like a delusion by the effects through his deepest darkest secrets. When an eccentric young punk named Monica suddenly appears in his doorstep to save him and his house by the oppression of the city council and his neighbourhood.
The story is a detailed expression on topics like the effects of mass migration, on art, loneliness and how to heal wounds when the pain is too deep to recover. Mark hummel created wonderful storytelling by substantially including jocular comedy to keep the story going while also reflecting the choices made by the common people and the effects of globalization on history and culture.
To be honest, the story does reminds me of “Eleanor oliphant is completely fine” in so many aspects. The themes including self isolation and loneliness was the biggest factor that resembles each of them. While a stranger coming to save your life from your rabbit hole is the common territory, which was hard to miss.
The author wrote very detailed descriptors to make the story so much alive that a reader can truly visualize the words coming to life. I am beyond impressed with the story and his fleshed out characters that was so likeable and realistic, that’s so hard to miss them even when the story is over. I’m such a huge fan of this book.
You need to add this book in your TBR immediately.
Thank you to Mark Hummel and Regal publishing house to send me a gifted copy, around my way.
OUT NOW 🫶🏻
The Man underground is a story about an unknown narrator who cuts himself through society by all means, living in a strange house and reliving every day like a delusion by the effects through his deepest darkest secrets. When an eccentric young punk named Monica suddenly appears in his doorstep to save him and his house by the oppression of the city council and his neighbourhood.
The story is a detailed expression on topics like the effects of mass migration, on art, loneliness and how to heal wounds when the pain is too deep to recover. Mark hummel created wonderful storytelling by substantially including jocular comedy to keep the story going while also reflecting the choices made by the common people and the effects of globalization on history and culture.
To be honest, the story does reminds me of “Eleanor oliphant is completely fine” in so many aspects. The themes including self isolation and loneliness was the biggest factor that resembles each of them. While a stranger coming to save your life from your rabbit hole is the common territory, which was hard to miss.
The author wrote very detailed descriptors to make the story so much alive that a reader can truly visualize the words coming to life. I am beyond impressed with the story and his fleshed out characters that was so likeable and realistic, that’s so hard to miss them even when the story is over. I’m such a huge fan of this book.
You need to add this book in your TBR immediately.
Thank you to Mark Hummel and Regal publishing house to send me a gifted copy, around my way.
OUT NOW 🫶🏻
November 2, 2023
Many thanks to @hazels_booktours and @markhummelleichliter for the copy of this book!
A heartwarming and emotional book about an unlikely friendship, which shows both characters finding themselves and seeing the world in a new light after their traumatic life experiences.
This book explores grief and loneliness in such a real way that I got a emotional at a few points. You can't help but feel for the characters and what they're going through. The writing is beautiful for these dark matters.
I'd say this book is much more about the character development than the plot and for a story like this, that's absolutely fine. You really feel as if you knew them by the end and feel sad letting them go.
I recommend this. Although some difficult topics, it's an easy and engaging read. It also has some funny moments. Overall it felt quite unique!
A heartwarming and emotional book about an unlikely friendship, which shows both characters finding themselves and seeing the world in a new light after their traumatic life experiences.
This book explores grief and loneliness in such a real way that I got a emotional at a few points. You can't help but feel for the characters and what they're going through. The writing is beautiful for these dark matters.
I'd say this book is much more about the character development than the plot and for a story like this, that's absolutely fine. You really feel as if you knew them by the end and feel sad letting them go.
I recommend this. Although some difficult topics, it's an easy and engaging read. It also has some funny moments. Overall it felt quite unique!
December 15, 2023
This book is sweet, and quirky, and most of all timely. It’s about how kindness and friendship are something we’re all fully capable of but rarely give unconditionally in today’s world. I loved the fast paced dialogue and the moments of silly tangled up in deeply serious topics. The characters were unraveled beautifully, with each chapter revealing something more. It felt like a breath of fresh air. I hope to see more from this author.
October 29, 2023
Man, Underground is the story of a nameless man who literally lives underground. He’s built an architecturally sound and frankly appealing (to me anyway) subterranean apartment where he can sit around listening to old records, remembering when he used to be a music journalist, and trying not to let the tragedies in his past overpower him. One day, a young woman knocks on his door to let him know that the city has begun to look askance at his unorthodox home…and she’s here to help, whether he likes it or not.
Their friendship deepens, and we learn that she too has a lot of pain to run from. The parameters of the relationship shift, each one offering the other some portion of what they need, and gradually coming out of their respective shells. I don’t want to say much about the plot, but I will say that they don’t sleep together. This isn’t that kind of book.
Hummel’s dialogue is sharp and witty, his plotting feels natural and never tips over into melodrama, and his ability to convey the mental contortions and deep inward focus of one who has spent too long away from society is very impressive. He strikes a delicate balance: his protagonist is an asshole, and he never allows you to think for a moment that the guy is in any way cool or someone to be emulated, but he doesn’t make him pitiable, either. He’s multifaceted, often unpleasant but capable of redemption and kindness. You know, like a person. And the same goes for the teenage co-protagonist, Monika. She’s rude and snappish at times, and Hummel never goes the self-flattering route of allowing her to seem like she looks up to the protagonist; their relationship is remarkably balanced.
The book drops in allusions to Faulkner, Dostoevsky, Ellison, and Melville, among others, but what it reminded me of most was a little-known novel from about 30 years ago: Slam, by Lewis Shiner. That book was about a 39-year-old guy who gets out of prison and takes a job as caretaker of a rich dead woman’s house and its 23 cats, soon forming a relationship with a 19-year-old girl (yes, they do sleep together), which in turn brings him into contact with the local youth subculture of skateboarders and early adoptees of online bulletin boards, the ancestors of today’s internet. Like Man, Underground, it’s about people who aren’t really suited to the regular world, but are able to adapt and connect with others who share their values, creating a community just about out of sight of everyone else that works a little better for them. It’s out of print in physical form, but you can find an ebook version easily enough.
It’s hard to write books about people on the fringes of society without making too much of a case for them. I mean, mainstream society works for the overwhelming majority of people, you know? Most folks like comfort, they like security, and they shouldn’t be condemned for that. Sneering at “plastic suburbanites” or whatever is lazy. People we pass on the street or in the supermarket aisle have problems we can’t possibly know about, and sooner or later the quotidian realities of existence pull us all in, to one degree or another. So a book like Man, Underground, which doesn’t paint any of its characters with a broad brush, is worth reading and good to have around.
Their friendship deepens, and we learn that she too has a lot of pain to run from. The parameters of the relationship shift, each one offering the other some portion of what they need, and gradually coming out of their respective shells. I don’t want to say much about the plot, but I will say that they don’t sleep together. This isn’t that kind of book.
Hummel’s dialogue is sharp and witty, his plotting feels natural and never tips over into melodrama, and his ability to convey the mental contortions and deep inward focus of one who has spent too long away from society is very impressive. He strikes a delicate balance: his protagonist is an asshole, and he never allows you to think for a moment that the guy is in any way cool or someone to be emulated, but he doesn’t make him pitiable, either. He’s multifaceted, often unpleasant but capable of redemption and kindness. You know, like a person. And the same goes for the teenage co-protagonist, Monika. She’s rude and snappish at times, and Hummel never goes the self-flattering route of allowing her to seem like she looks up to the protagonist; their relationship is remarkably balanced.
The book drops in allusions to Faulkner, Dostoevsky, Ellison, and Melville, among others, but what it reminded me of most was a little-known novel from about 30 years ago: Slam, by Lewis Shiner. That book was about a 39-year-old guy who gets out of prison and takes a job as caretaker of a rich dead woman’s house and its 23 cats, soon forming a relationship with a 19-year-old girl (yes, they do sleep together), which in turn brings him into contact with the local youth subculture of skateboarders and early adoptees of online bulletin boards, the ancestors of today’s internet. Like Man, Underground, it’s about people who aren’t really suited to the regular world, but are able to adapt and connect with others who share their values, creating a community just about out of sight of everyone else that works a little better for them. It’s out of print in physical form, but you can find an ebook version easily enough.
It’s hard to write books about people on the fringes of society without making too much of a case for them. I mean, mainstream society works for the overwhelming majority of people, you know? Most folks like comfort, they like security, and they shouldn’t be condemned for that. Sneering at “plastic suburbanites” or whatever is lazy. People we pass on the street or in the supermarket aisle have problems we can’t possibly know about, and sooner or later the quotidian realities of existence pull us all in, to one degree or another. So a book like Man, Underground, which doesn’t paint any of its characters with a broad brush, is worth reading and good to have around.
November 3, 2023
I love books told from first person POV and this one was it for me. The narrator has built his house into the earth, more underground really, and has wanted to just be away from everyone and everything. Then one day at the start of this book a girl shows up at his door. And he talks to her. About the city and the taking places from people, which was a thing. Like his house…..
My husband could really relate to the main character of the man in this book. He is always worried that someone from the government will come and take our land or house away and just say ah well and then we will be left homeless. He really liked this character as a reader. I also enjoyed the main character of the man as he is just trying to live away from society, as people did in the old days and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
Over the course of the book, the two characters of the man and the girl become friends even though she is 17 and he is 46. The girl just wants to help the man with the city and their fight against his house.
My husband could really relate to the main character of the man in this book. He is always worried that someone from the government will come and take our land or house away and just say ah well and then we will be left homeless. He really liked this character as a reader. I also enjoyed the main character of the man as he is just trying to live away from society, as people did in the old days and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
Over the course of the book, the two characters of the man and the girl become friends even though she is 17 and he is 46. The girl just wants to help the man with the city and their fight against his house.
November 7, 2023
" 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦’𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢..”
This was a book that came with an entirely interesting and different plotline from all those I've been reading recently. A heartwarming book about an unlikely friendship and survival.
Narrated in first person POV, the story discusses about the subterranean home the character has been living for ages, and the city's initiation of a review on it. Leading a lonely life, He was surprised to find a girl knocking on his door one day, offering her help in fighting against the city. The plot develops as a friendship is formed between them and they must face their own tragic pasts as well.
Well developed characters and wonderful plotline, this story will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh at times. The Vivid descriptions right from the beginning and well drawn plotline captivated me. A dark comedy featuring loss, friendship, grief and survival. I highly recommend this..🤍💫
This was a book that came with an entirely interesting and different plotline from all those I've been reading recently. A heartwarming book about an unlikely friendship and survival.
Narrated in first person POV, the story discusses about the subterranean home the character has been living for ages, and the city's initiation of a review on it. Leading a lonely life, He was surprised to find a girl knocking on his door one day, offering her help in fighting against the city. The plot develops as a friendship is formed between them and they must face their own tragic pasts as well.
Well developed characters and wonderful plotline, this story will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh at times. The Vivid descriptions right from the beginning and well drawn plotline captivated me. A dark comedy featuring loss, friendship, grief and survival. I highly recommend this..🤍💫
December 29, 2023
What a unique, funny, unexpectedly life-affirming book. How a story with such strong undercurrents of loneliness, cynicism and grief could end up packing such a hopeful and heartening punch owes everything to Hummel’s two main characters and their expertly rendered friendship. Their banter is razor sharp and ultimately revealing, serving as it does to (as Monika puts it) “avoid the difficult stuff” they both conceal with various degrees of success. It’s that difficult stuff that slowly brings them together and, along with the rippling effects of kindness, finally allows for transcendence as they each find their way to a new and better place. As someone who generally tends toward the somber and tragic in literature, what a breath of fresh air it was to read a story of such rare tenderness and, dare I say, optimism.
May 18, 2024
Somewhere around the last third of this book, I thought of a line from Rilke: “Who, if I cried, would hear me among the angelic orders?” Yeah, Rilke. It came into my head as the lives of the MAN, UNDERGROUND’s narrator and his wildly unlikely friend, Monika, became ever more intertwined.
This story of how a grown man, buried beneath his own grief, and a teen, Monika, a fragile heart in punk’s clothing, come to embody the impossibility of “random salvation,” is ultimately an outpouring of truth and beauty.
Maybe this is a weird way to write a review, but more Rilke: “Yes, the Springs had need of you. Many a star was waiting for you to espy it. Many a wave would rise on the past towards you; or, else, perhaps, as you went by an open window, a violin would be giving itself to someone. All this was a trust.”
All this was a trust.
This story of how a grown man, buried beneath his own grief, and a teen, Monika, a fragile heart in punk’s clothing, come to embody the impossibility of “random salvation,” is ultimately an outpouring of truth and beauty.
Maybe this is a weird way to write a review, but more Rilke: “Yes, the Springs had need of you. Many a star was waiting for you to espy it. Many a wave would rise on the past towards you; or, else, perhaps, as you went by an open window, a violin would be giving itself to someone. All this was a trust.”
All this was a trust.
June 5, 2024
The story had its nice moments and a fair amount of humor, but I didn't overly care for this. I get what Hummel was doing — revealing information about both characters gradually, mirroring the way they are shedding their accumulated defenses — but if I wanted to have an older dude snobbily pontificate about music and culture, well... I only have to dust off the memories. At times, characters speak in monologues, not in dialogue people might actually say, near-perfect SAT score or not.
Besides, wouldn't a music snob know that Nico is spelled with only one c?
Also: Men Be Normal Writing About Women Challenge
(Apparently, Difficulty: Near Insurmountable)
Besides, wouldn't a music snob know that Nico is spelled with only one c?
Also: Men Be Normal Writing About Women Challenge
(Apparently, Difficulty: Near Insurmountable)
July 10, 2024
Wow! I was blown away by the story and characters. At its core, it’s a heartwarming, but sometimes difficult, story about resilience and how opening oneself to kindness can slowly help mend a heart. Monika has to be one of my favorite characters in a long time — irreverent, wickedly smart, often misguided, and totally honest. I already miss her! The underlying social commentary is brutal and powerfully relevant today, but never heavy-handed. And the frequent laugh-out-loud sentences were interspersed with sentences so profound I found myself re-reading them. I am baffled why Mark Hummel is not better known. Looking forward to reading his other books. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2024
Mark Hummel's beautiful story steeped in grief, in our humanness and all the ways we try to avoid suffering, is also an affirmation of our resilience. Even in the trenches of untenable pain, we sometimes stumble upon another who can coax us from our hiding places. Hummel's two main characters, both masterful at rejecting and spewing bullshit, feel full and true. The complicated, conspiratorial nature of their odd alliance injects this heartbreak of a novel with a joy that reminds the reader to hope.
March 21, 2024
If you've grown up admiring literary fiction but lately have had enough in which lyrical prose and expected dialogue of little consequence bogs down your desire to turn pages, this novel by Mark Hummel is for you. Its narrative voice is thoughtful yet snappy; its dialogue dramatizes interplay among characters who are guarded yet willing to take chances; best of all, at least for me, its premise and plot offers a quirkiness that soon assures you you're enjoying a wellspring of wit unlike any you've ever read.
May 26, 2024
Man, Underground is a pure delight! It’s a novel about loneliness and grief, and yet the friendship between a reclusive man and an eccentric 17-year-old girl is so heartwarming, it is a joy to read. Hummel is extraordinary at bringing characters to life. The unlikely friendship feels so real and deep, and their dialogue is funny and brilliant. I looked forward to picking up the book each day just to hang out with them. Really. I came to love the characters so much! Man, Underground is an absolute gem of a novel, and a beautiful reminder that our greatest superpower is kindness.
November 9, 2023
I love reading books like this, that take a social issue and work through it.
With characters that really embed themselves in your heart, this was quite an emotional read.
Neither character is what I'd call loveable - he has removed himself from society and as such comes across rude and unsociable - she is moody and snappy.
But, our main characters were well presented and both with their own issues and past traumas, it was lovely to see this unlikely friendship take shape and develop through the book.
Whilst it explores the issues of loneliness and grief, it does so in such a relatable way, with some humour injected into the narrative which makes this both thought-provoking and compelling.
With a plot that is really secondary to the character development, I loved the focus on random acts of kindness - definitely something we could all learn from!
I really enjoyed the writing style which was easy to read and engaging throughout.
With characters that really embed themselves in your heart, this was quite an emotional read.
Neither character is what I'd call loveable - he has removed himself from society and as such comes across rude and unsociable - she is moody and snappy.
But, our main characters were well presented and both with their own issues and past traumas, it was lovely to see this unlikely friendship take shape and develop through the book.
Whilst it explores the issues of loneliness and grief, it does so in such a relatable way, with some humour injected into the narrative which makes this both thought-provoking and compelling.
With a plot that is really secondary to the character development, I loved the focus on random acts of kindness - definitely something we could all learn from!
I really enjoyed the writing style which was easy to read and engaging throughout.
November 2, 2023
I loved this book! It is a book of hope and finding your place in the world after a tragic loss. It is never good to lock yourself away and wallow in your own grief when you should be living for the ones who are no longer here. This book had me laughing out loud in parts. The gnome switch and the other shenanigans that they got themselves into was great. This book gave me all the feels happiness, sadness, and LOL in parts. I highly recommend this book!!!
November 1, 2023
The storyline is unique and filled with quick banter between the main characters. The main character, an unnamed man, shares his thoughts with the reader while he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a neighbor. While this book isn’t bad, I don’t think I was the target audience.
April 9, 2024
I do recommend this unique book about two believable non-conformists. A story of a unique and beneficial friendship. Well-paced.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews