Blind Turn

by Todd Garlington

How many images does a person see over a lifetime? Where does advertising end and self-image begin? In media-saturated Los Angeles, the chauffeur Martin Tate has seen it all. Or has he? Privy to the lives of various passengers, he pieces together the story that connects a model, a musician, and a mogul. But they have their own stories to tell—and their own corners to turn. Where do they stand in the culture of the maze? Martin learns more than he cares to know. How long can he remain a spectator, or has he been participating all along?

Enter Blind Turn, a world of slick high-rises, ornate mansions, and roadways packed with ambition. Through the eyes of characters at different stages in life comes an urban portrait capturing the glossy surface and bottomless pit of desire. Will Mira find happiness? Will Godfrey make his comeback? Will Vincent finally escape? Goals abound, but is the outcome ever as expected? Amid the power plays, petty reprisals, and fantasies of adoration, an individual strains to find dignity. But all is not lost. The city of dreams occasionally presents an opportunity to wake up.

For ePub readers, select Other Editions.

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298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2012

About the author

Todd Garlington spent his childhood in the Australian Capital Territory and his youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. Film school brought him to Los Angeles, but a love of language ultimately prevailed over an interest in images. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a Masters in Professional Writing. After a rigorous stint in film and television where he served more as a factotum than a wordsmith, he transitioned to the vocation of independent author. His written work explores temporality, decadence, and the paradoxes of personal and cultural identity.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an LA native, I found this clever tale set in various hot-spots to be a formidable weaving of lives that even locals will find realistic but at the same time a fresh take.

Blind Turn offers a spot-on interpretation of LA (which is no easy feat given the sensationalized nature of Hollywood we are so often besieged with from parabolic media informers). It didn't take long for my mind to be engulfed by the book given the cascading. The elements I found most engaging had a Lynchian voyeurism about them. I would say this is an intense psychological read. I especially like the way the story unfolds through the chauffeur and his passengers.

For those who are into Noir as a style but demand more than just Pulp, this might very well float your boat.