Junk Man

by Erec Stebbins

A young boy from the Trail comes to the city. He is an outsider. Ignorant. Alone. Until he finds the Junk Man. Then, what was broken might be fixed. In a world too full of waste and brokenness, there is a mythology of redemption. In lives marred by clumsiness in matters of the heart, there can be renewal. Buried in the deepest pits of loss, pain, and tarnished dreams, there is a resurrection.

134 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

Erec Stebbins is a biomedical researcher who writes novels in a variety of genres, focusing on thrillers and science fiction. His work has been praised for its action and thrills alongside a deeper, often philosophical angle. The Internet Review of Books dubbed him "master of the thinking reader's techno thriller".

His novels have been called "unique" and "pulse-pounding" ( The Ragnarök Conspiracy), "altogether profound, reminiscent of Bradbury and Dan Simmons’ Hyperion" (Daughter of Time Trilogy), and "startlingly dark" (Extraordinary Retribution) with five star ratings in Foreword Reviews, San Francisco Book Reviews, Portland Book Review, and others. His Daughter of Time trilogy is a Foreword Reviews' 2015 INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalist.

Amazon Author Page

Reviews

[Gmr · Rating 3 out of 5]

On your most basic level, you have the story of a young boy in new surroundings finding an unlikely friend and ally in a homeless gentleman living at the local dump. While he might seem scary or off putting at first glance, if you get to know him, he’s an individual who may have hit hard times once upon a song and simply sees things differently. Every item of refuse he comes across has an inane beauty to it for him as it shares the story of where it’s been and who it belonged to.

When others find out about all the time Josh’s spending with this unknown soul, they become
rightfully worried but unjustly defensive and soon go on the offense in a situation they know nothing about. That’s what happens when one jumps the gun and reacts before having all the facts…or listening to a voice of reason that just so happens to belong to the youth involved. Does this spell the end of the Junk Man? Hardly, but it certainly puts a hold on his gardening and salvaging efforts. However, despite the adults intent to erase this memorable character, his affect lives on in the changes seen within our young narrator…all for the better might I add. Moving forward…

Below the surface story, as previously mentioned, are several different messages running about. First, there’s the classic “don’t judge a book by its cover” or a person by their exterior…the Junk Man himself is a prime example of this. He proves that despite the way someone looks or is initially perceived, there is often times much more to discover. If you discount who they’ll be in your life from the start, you may be missing out. Next we have a message of conservation and recycling or the more recent rage, upcycling…where you make something out of nothing, or rather out of discards. The Junk Man, and in turn Josh from his tutelage, is able to see something that was merely a castaway, in a new light, thus repurposing the item for display or use. In a phrase, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Just because something is of no use to you anymore, does not mean it has reached the end of its usefulness entirely. Let’s see, then we have the reminder to give everyone a chance, make peace not war, listen even to the smallest voice of reason, and…shall I continue? A great many things were worked into this short work, but each one is a lesson worth learning.

In the end, it’s a novella aimed at the older kiddos, teens and beyond due to some content; there’s multiple messages to walk away with and appeal for both girl and boy readers. Young lads can walk right in young Josh’s shoes throughout the journey, while young lasses can appreciate the overall time spent with the Junk Man and perhaps the unusual beauty of “the museum”. Of course, older readers will have other tangents to think on upon story’s end. The dialect chosen to relay the tale makes it a tad harder to digest, but if you need a simple solution…just read it aloud. It adds to the drama of the story and let’s you have a little accented fun.


*review copy received in exchange for my honest review...full post can be seen on my site*

[Cate's Book Nut Hut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella is written in a first person narrative style, with the narrator being a teenage boy. It has been written in such as manner that I felt as if I were sat there with him while he related his tale to me, along with all its asides. The boy ‘speaks’ to the reader with a deep southern or hill country accent and, as I read I could hear his voice in my head with all the twists and nuances his accent provided. I did find the way the narrative was written to be a little daunting at first, and found myself having to reread portions of it to make sure I had truly understood what my teenage story teller was trying to get across. However, this did not detract from the novella as a whole, just made it a little bit more than an easy quick read.

Because of the way in which it is written, there does not need to be any deep character developments or plots; we are just being offered a slice of this boy’s life, and all it contains, with no frills. Having said that though, as the reader progresses through the novella, they are made to actually think and re-evaluate the things they come across in their everyday lives, and also the way in which they interact with the people in their lives.

This is a hard little book to write a review on as so much that could be said about it, would just be spoiling the whole experience for readers that pick it up. It is a special little book and, if I were more familiar with the vernacular used by the narrator, I would most likely have said it was an outstanding read but, unfortunately for me, the having to backtrack over some of the narration really interrupted the flow.

This is a book I would recommend to readers from teens up to adults. The only thing they may need to be aware of is the narration style, but other than that this novella is not offensive in any way and is worth your time to read.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can someone tell the story of our life based on the junk we throw away? We meet young Josh when he is with his school counselor and responds to a Rorschach Ink Blot card by saying it looks like Junk Man.

This starts Erec Stebbins novella “The Junk Man”. Who is this character that Josh meets at the local dump? Is he merely a homeless and possibly dangerous leper, a man having a psychic break or, maybe, a true Empath. The book is written in the first person narrative style in the language of an under-educated hill person. I found this disconcerting at first but within the opening chapter realized that this is probably the only format that could carry this formidable story.

Josh starts to spend most of his free time helping the Junk Man with his building, foraging and gardening and is soon given admission to the museum. It is here that he starts to realize the true nature of the Junk Man. Within the confines of this hidden compound is a collection of special trash that tells a story of the person who has, for one reason or another, parted with it. Each tale is a sad story but with each telling Josh recognizes that the Junk Man seems to glow with a light that others fail to see. He realizes that others, like his counselor, are always telling him things but never looking in his eyes.

Sometimes a book just resonates with you. For me, that is the case with The Junk Man. I’ve always thought it was unfair to compare one author to another in their works or style but the whole while I was reading this I could not help but compare it to Stephen King’s “The Green Mile”. The Junk Man is a powerful work. It’s one of those special books that you bump into now and then if you’re very, very lucky.

[C.P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This book was provided to me free of charge courtesy of GoodReads First Reads Giveaways*


I enjoyed this story but not as much as I had hoped from seeing the description and cover art.
After reading the introduction I was aware of the authors inspiration for the story as well as his warning about the language (regional accent) he used to portray it. Unfortunately I think the written accent harmed this story more than helped. I know he wanted to give the characters a voice and he succeeded in doing so, but the rough portrayal of the southern regional accent he did was difficult to get into most of the way through.
I have read from authors who are gifted in making the most complicated accent seem natural, this is not one. Instead of rolling along smoothly the accent was more like a flat tire humping along down the road with 3 other working tires.
The overall story while predictable is a sweet one with a strong message. Josh and his life did feel a bit cliche at times but he was his own person. I think this story would have been better from the Junk Man's point of view.
When I pulled the book out of it's packaging I was really stunned by the beautiful cover art for it. The front reminds me a bit of Alfred Hitchcock and the back screamed Shel Silverstein to me. I thought it was an interesting combination. Overall 3 stars. Nice afternoon read.

[Susan Beamon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book and as a result, tightly written. I found it lyrical as well. I enjoyed the blooming relationship between the young boy and the older man in the transformation of the junkyard. That the other adults in the boy's world saw this relationship as maybe abusive is the way our world reacts to anything different. Maybe there was abuse, maybe there wasn't, but the boy's life will never be what it was before the man entered it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won in Goodreads giveaway. I thought this was a very nice story, with some cliches, but overall a should-read. The narrator was fun to read, even if the language was a little difficult. Loved the cover art, so expected a bit more out of the story, however.

[Daevone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was an insightful story, with authentic southern dialect and a concise, and sometimes funny main character. Personally, I had a ton of problems reading the dialect, but it does well with conveying southern speech to the reader.

[B J Galaday · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd skip this one

I borrowed this one by the author of Extraordinary Retribution because I had so enjoyed it. Not so this one. It's very difficult to read the main character's dialogue and I found it very tedious. Would not be recommending this one.