Walczyk

by Tellis Coolong

“I cant…I can’t deal with this. The paparazzi are already circling. I…I’ve…I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to get away from…this.”
—Peter Walczyk

Meet Peter Walczyk, a man who has it all — a brilliant career as a screenwriter and director, the most popular series on television, the money and fame this earned him, and a stunning actress wife. Then Walczyk’s home life comes crashing down, and the paparazzi descend on him like a pack of vultures. Panicked and unsure how to handle it things, Walczyk makes a hasty decision to return to his childhood home, the small tourist community of Cole Island, Maine.

But just as Walczyk begins to settle into a new life far from the pressures of Hollywood, he suffers a crippling breakdown and is hospitalized. As he struggles to get his life back on track, he must learn to reach out to his parents, his friends, and an enigmatic young woman he meets in the hospital.

596 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2013

Reviews

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a close friend and Maine native. Three stars for writing a long book (with several editing misses that made me feel like a skip on a CD or vinyl), with solid hometown characters, slightly predictable plot, and taking on the topic of bipolar and what that disease looks like ... in somewhat "lite" form. (To be fair, I happened to also be watching Spinning Out on Netflix around the same time.) At times, I became engrossed in the story, at others, I couldn't wait to finish the book so I could just be done reading it. I left with a feeling that there really wasn't as much of a conclusion as I've come to expect of many books, which fits with the Coolong's author "blurb" regarding inklings of future Walczyk books. If Coolong is thinking of a book about Kaley, that might pique my interest...

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable, well-paced story. In addition to creating a strong, identifiable sense of place in the Maine setting of Cole Island, Mr. Coolong provides his reader with a unique perspective of the complex relationship dynamics before and after his main character's bipolar disorder diagnosis. A solid first novel - I am looking forward to following this author's continuing work and development of his craft.