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Asking For It
Ed Greene, a National Guardsman, returns from Iraq with a troubled conscience and stolen artifacts, discovers his wife is being unfaithful, and is haunted by a ghost in the antique village where he has his cabin. He finds his true love but fearing for her safety with the apparition, drives her away into the arms of another.
Coming to his senses, he begs her to return, only to have the other man unwilling to let her go. When she is kidnapped from his cabin, Ed goes outside the law to find and save her before it is too late.
A love story, and a story of the aftermath of war, in the end when called up for another tour, Ed must make the gravest decision of his life.
Coming to his senses, he begs her to return, only to have the other man unwilling to let her go. When she is kidnapped from his cabin, Ed goes outside the law to find and save her before it is too late.
A love story, and a story of the aftermath of war, in the end when called up for another tour, Ed must make the gravest decision of his life.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2013
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Paul Allen
7 books2 followers Paul Allen is a writer, filmmaker, and naturalist. He is the author of the novels, APELAND, NEGRO FORT, MASTER OF BREATH, ASKING FOR IT, MR. BLACK AND WHITE and NEVER A SOLDIER. His short fiction and journalism have appeared in The Smith, The St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Florida Handbook, and The Quarterly Journal of Military History. A Writers Guild member, screenplays have been written for Hollywood producers and directors.
He has degrees in English and psychology, and an M.F.A. in Cinema from the Univ. of Southern California.
He has taught classical and modern literature, writing, and film at various colleges, including U.S.C. and Rhode Island School of Design.
He lives with his wife in the woods of southern New England where deer graze in the yard, and barred owls hoot and foxes bark in the night.
He has degrees in English and psychology, and an M.F.A. in Cinema from the Univ. of Southern California.
He has taught classical and modern literature, writing, and film at various colleges, including U.S.C. and Rhode Island School of Design.
He lives with his wife in the woods of southern New England where deer graze in the yard, and barred owls hoot and foxes bark in the night.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 23, 2014
Whether author Paul Allen was describing snowy rustic pine treed backwoods country, a young lieutenant's courageous military service and opposition to war, a fierce blast of war battle, or the scorch and sizzle of his love life, there was never a dull moment in this terrific enthralling new novel: "Asking For It".
National Guardsman Lieutenant Ed Greene returned to his rural farming community a war hero. He immediately sensed something wasn't right in his marriage when he and his wife returned to live in his remote New England cabin near Cape Cod, MA. It wasn't long before she left him for another man who she had an affair with while he was stationed in Iraq. Greene wasn't alone long when he reconnected with Beatrice Vary, an art history major, finishing her doctorial studies in Greco Roman Art at Brown University, which was also his alma mater.
Lt. Greene showed Beatrice the artifacts in his possession that captured Iraqi soldiers had looted from graves, of which he planned to return to Bagdad. He was also haunted and terrified of ghostly apparition, he and Beatrice tried to understand the meaning: could the haunting be related to his Naval Commander's father's suicide in the living room at his cabin years ago, his stillborn daughter's ashes scattered near his property, or PTSD following war trauma? In his mental breakdown he fears for Beatrice's safety and insists she must leave him. Reluctantly, she packs and leaves after pleading with him to seek psychiatric counseling.
After Greene recovers somewhat from his mental anguish, Beatrice returns to him. They are soon ambushed at the cabin, and Beatrice is kidnapped. Greene enlists his buddies from the Guard to assist him in her safe return, going outside local law enforcement. Situations occur that will permanently change the course of both their lives.
Paul Allen is an accomplished novelist of "Apeland", "Negro Fort", "Master of Breath", in addition to "Asking For It". Allen's journalism and short fiction have appeared in a variety of publications. He is also film maker and has a MFA in Cinema Studies from the University of Southern California.
National Guardsman Lieutenant Ed Greene returned to his rural farming community a war hero. He immediately sensed something wasn't right in his marriage when he and his wife returned to live in his remote New England cabin near Cape Cod, MA. It wasn't long before she left him for another man who she had an affair with while he was stationed in Iraq. Greene wasn't alone long when he reconnected with Beatrice Vary, an art history major, finishing her doctorial studies in Greco Roman Art at Brown University, which was also his alma mater.
Lt. Greene showed Beatrice the artifacts in his possession that captured Iraqi soldiers had looted from graves, of which he planned to return to Bagdad. He was also haunted and terrified of ghostly apparition, he and Beatrice tried to understand the meaning: could the haunting be related to his Naval Commander's father's suicide in the living room at his cabin years ago, his stillborn daughter's ashes scattered near his property, or PTSD following war trauma? In his mental breakdown he fears for Beatrice's safety and insists she must leave him. Reluctantly, she packs and leaves after pleading with him to seek psychiatric counseling.
After Greene recovers somewhat from his mental anguish, Beatrice returns to him. They are soon ambushed at the cabin, and Beatrice is kidnapped. Greene enlists his buddies from the Guard to assist him in her safe return, going outside local law enforcement. Situations occur that will permanently change the course of both their lives.
Paul Allen is an accomplished novelist of "Apeland", "Negro Fort", "Master of Breath", in addition to "Asking For It". Allen's journalism and short fiction have appeared in a variety of publications. He is also film maker and has a MFA in Cinema Studies from the University of Southern California.
March 13, 2014
This novel has everything, romance, beauty, danger, a ghost that haunts the story. A setting and atmosphere as real as the characters. There are timeless themes of love and war that will stay with me.
December 19, 2014
"Asking For It" Is a Great Ride
It would have been so easy for Paul Allen's “Asking For It” to turn into just another melodramatic potboiler as it has all of the elements to do so, but, it is not. Yes, it does have the right ingredients but under his deft hand, the story that he tells is much more.
At its core, it is a story of a man shattered by war who comes home to pick up the pieces of his life and move on. It seems easy, at first, but 1st Lt. Ed Greene of the Rhode Island National Guard, who has served two tours in Iraq, has his doubts. Was his wife Brenda as faithful to him as he was to her? If she wasn't, who was it with? Greene really doesn't want to know the truth, it is obvious, as he and Brenda live their lie together. Eventually, the truth comes out and the story moves on.
It would have been so easy for Allen to take the easy way out and write just another true lust novel – it does have some rather over-the-top scenes – but if you read between the lines, you can see that the author is writing about a much broader social problem, the plight of warriors who return home and, who, while they look the same on the outside are actually dramatically changed. They have been scarred by the horrific sights they have seen or they have lived through.
Lt. Greene was deeply scarred when one of his men, Billy, was the victim of a suicide bomber. Who wouldn't have been more than a little messed up when, in trying to help the wounded GI, the only thing he could do was watch the young warrior as he died in the officer's arms. Lt. Greene carries this incident with him and it works its way deeply into his psyche. It changes not only Lt. Green but also the men under command. When they go back to the fight their operations assume a new brutality. No one who had served there would ever blame them, but, those back home would likely be shocked if they knew how the soldier had changed. They just have to keep it to themselves.
Ed Greene returned home to his wife Brenda, a woman whom he really never loved but who he married out of a sense of duty to the daughter a night of ecstasy produced for the couple. Well, maybe Ed actually loved her, in a way, because he always remained faithful to her, even after he suspected that she was having an affair. Until almost the end, Brenda tried to act like the faithful wife – she really wasn't.
Ed found out the truth after a party honoring him. Brenda was flirting and it seemed to Ed that there was much to it. There was and it ended his marriage. Afterward, he was morose, gloomily walking the woods, drinking and entertaining thoughts of suicide, as his father had done. That was until he found Beatrice. They renewed a dalliance they had had before his service, however, Ed realized there was more, much more to their connection. He found that he really did love the beautiful Beatrice and that she really loved him. It began to change their lives in many ways.
You'll have to read the novel to find out the ways in which Allen, the author, changed everything. It is quite a journey. It is a journey that also highlights the ways in which average people respond to unusual circumstances.
That response is central to much of this novel and Allen's masterful way of handling it keeps “Asking For It” from becoming just another novel of lust under the trees. Allen goes into Greene's thoughts and presents them in a nonjudgmental manner. They are just experiences that Greene has gone through and they now define his core. This might seem a bleak outlook, however, Allen gives him an outlet Beatrice. She is the one who draws him from the depths, heals his wounds and makes him whole.
“Asking For It” is not only a thoroughly enjoyable romp in the woods, but it also touches on some major social issues confronting us – how we treat veterans and their wounds. Allen is master storyteller, one with the skill to create believable characters and scenes. He pulls us into the world of Ed Greene, keeps us there and makes it thoroughly believable – the mark of a good author. His characters are multi-dimensional and are real.
More than that, though, it is obvious the Allen knows his material as his research is spot on and his writing shows. The best part, though, is that it is nicely blended into the fabric of the story, becoming another element. Allen's ability to weave the many elements of “Asking For It” into a satisfying novel is first rate. It is really worth loading into your tablet to give it a read.
It would have been so easy for Paul Allen's “Asking For It” to turn into just another melodramatic potboiler as it has all of the elements to do so, but, it is not. Yes, it does have the right ingredients but under his deft hand, the story that he tells is much more.
At its core, it is a story of a man shattered by war who comes home to pick up the pieces of his life and move on. It seems easy, at first, but 1st Lt. Ed Greene of the Rhode Island National Guard, who has served two tours in Iraq, has his doubts. Was his wife Brenda as faithful to him as he was to her? If she wasn't, who was it with? Greene really doesn't want to know the truth, it is obvious, as he and Brenda live their lie together. Eventually, the truth comes out and the story moves on.
It would have been so easy for Allen to take the easy way out and write just another true lust novel – it does have some rather over-the-top scenes – but if you read between the lines, you can see that the author is writing about a much broader social problem, the plight of warriors who return home and, who, while they look the same on the outside are actually dramatically changed. They have been scarred by the horrific sights they have seen or they have lived through.
Lt. Greene was deeply scarred when one of his men, Billy, was the victim of a suicide bomber. Who wouldn't have been more than a little messed up when, in trying to help the wounded GI, the only thing he could do was watch the young warrior as he died in the officer's arms. Lt. Greene carries this incident with him and it works its way deeply into his psyche. It changes not only Lt. Green but also the men under command. When they go back to the fight their operations assume a new brutality. No one who had served there would ever blame them, but, those back home would likely be shocked if they knew how the soldier had changed. They just have to keep it to themselves.
Ed Greene returned home to his wife Brenda, a woman whom he really never loved but who he married out of a sense of duty to the daughter a night of ecstasy produced for the couple. Well, maybe Ed actually loved her, in a way, because he always remained faithful to her, even after he suspected that she was having an affair. Until almost the end, Brenda tried to act like the faithful wife – she really wasn't.
Ed found out the truth after a party honoring him. Brenda was flirting and it seemed to Ed that there was much to it. There was and it ended his marriage. Afterward, he was morose, gloomily walking the woods, drinking and entertaining thoughts of suicide, as his father had done. That was until he found Beatrice. They renewed a dalliance they had had before his service, however, Ed realized there was more, much more to their connection. He found that he really did love the beautiful Beatrice and that she really loved him. It began to change their lives in many ways.
You'll have to read the novel to find out the ways in which Allen, the author, changed everything. It is quite a journey. It is a journey that also highlights the ways in which average people respond to unusual circumstances.
That response is central to much of this novel and Allen's masterful way of handling it keeps “Asking For It” from becoming just another novel of lust under the trees. Allen goes into Greene's thoughts and presents them in a nonjudgmental manner. They are just experiences that Greene has gone through and they now define his core. This might seem a bleak outlook, however, Allen gives him an outlet Beatrice. She is the one who draws him from the depths, heals his wounds and makes him whole.
“Asking For It” is not only a thoroughly enjoyable romp in the woods, but it also touches on some major social issues confronting us – how we treat veterans and their wounds. Allen is master storyteller, one with the skill to create believable characters and scenes. He pulls us into the world of Ed Greene, keeps us there and makes it thoroughly believable – the mark of a good author. His characters are multi-dimensional and are real.
More than that, though, it is obvious the Allen knows his material as his research is spot on and his writing shows. The best part, though, is that it is nicely blended into the fabric of the story, becoming another element. Allen's ability to weave the many elements of “Asking For It” into a satisfying novel is first rate. It is really worth loading into your tablet to give it a read.
November 24, 2014
`Ed was paralyzed with fear. He trembled at what he knew but could not believe. Had it watched them in bed?'
American writer and filmmaker Paul Allen has written five novels - APELAND, NEGRO FORT, MASTER OF BREATH, ASKING FOR IT, and MR. BLACK AND WHITE - each one reflecting his fascination and passion for nature as well as demonstrating the polished gifts as a writer well trained for his profession. His studies in English and psychology were capped By an MFA in Cinema from the University of Southern California and he polished his skills writing short stories and journalism appearing in a wide sweep of publications as The Smith, The St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Florida Handbook, and The Quarterly Journal of Military History. A member of Writers Guild he has taught classical and modern literature, writing and film at USC and Rhode Island School of design. Now from his home in the woods of New England he turns our screenplays and novels that have a characteristic sense of enticing the reader to connect with the characters and the messages of his works.
One of Paul Allen's many gifts as a writer is in his take off (his landing formation is equally well oiled but most authors can get climax whereas few can grab you around the neck in the first paragraph). Case in point: `Ed ran fast up the drive to catch it this time before it was gone, the ghost, the gray blur, the apparition, the floater in his eye he had first seen by the graveyard behind the grange. He had never seen a ghost in Iraq as a guardsman among all the dead, wading through the blood and shit in the streets. He knew he was screwed up when he got back four months ago in February, but when he stepped off the C-130 at Quonset when the company was brought back to the cheering reception, the screaming, and crying, the men he knew now boys in their mothers' arms once more, Lt. Ed Greene saw his wife Brenda hanging back against the wall where an antique poster from the old Quonset Point days during the Second World War had a bandannaed war plant woman holding her finger up to her lips, and what he could see of the slogan from behind his wife read, "Don't tell."
Ed Greene's eyes are the entry ports into this gripping story of the effects of battle on the mind of soldiers - especially those soldiers who have fought and are fighting the mindless endless futile war in the Middle East. Ed returns with what some would label PTSD (fulfilling the need to paste names on conditions that throttle men's and women's minds and hearts after battle exposure), finding his wife Brenda less than attractive, seemingly more practiced sexually (she is having sex with a local cop named Andy), the discovery of Brenda's unfaithfulness, the hoarding of some ancient relics Ed brought back from Iraq, seeing apparitions (or are they?), and as the synopsis distills it, `He finds his true love (Beatrice) but fearing for her safety with the apparition, drives her away into the arms of another. Coming to his senses, he begs her to return, only to have the other man unwilling to let her go. When she is kidnapped from his cabin, Ed goes outside the law to find and save her before it is too late.'
The territory covered and the manner in which naturalist/journalist Allen relates it is palpably real. But that is where the book takes on a sense of compassion for the travails of each of us in this world that simply no longer makes sense. Ed Greene becomes us, and that is a signature of a fine author - utter involvement with the main character and the pledge to self-examination/preservation and honesty. Paul Allen is the real thing.
December 11, 2014
Ed Greene is a National Guardsmen. Recently returning from deployment from Iraq, he’s experiencing the usual veteran symptoms of mental fatigue and crisis on conscience. When his wife leaves him, he retreats to a cabin in the woods, a cabin with a ghost. Anxious to keep the spirit from his new love, he pushes her away.
Asking for it is a love story and the casualties of war. I’m not a huge fan of books of this type, but my wife recommended it to me and I decided to give it a try. Excellent read that I have no qualms with recommending!
Asking for it is a love story and the casualties of war. I’m not a huge fan of books of this type, but my wife recommended it to me and I decided to give it a try. Excellent read that I have no qualms with recommending!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews