The Missing Something Club

by William Haylon

Kate was an aging baby boomer fully entrenched in mid-life crisis. Educated, literary, kids off to college and beyond, newly divorced, and no longer affluent. Suddenly isolated after a lifetime of steadfastly playing a role that wasn’t her. So she reluctantly posted an invite on a social networking website in an attempt to find others who were also missing something out of life. Five strangers responded, and they began to gather each week at a bar in Harvard Square, eventually sharing the secrets of their dispirited lives and attempting to play therapist for one another. The Missing Something Club is their unusual story. An incredibly beautiful and confused mother of three young children who could not escape the guilt of having misled an unsuspecting husband she wasn’t certain she ever loved. A beguiling but adrift young man not much older than Kate’s own sons, who, as a result of so many unfortunate events in his brief life, lived to meaninglessly hook up with women he hardly knew. A too often disregarded pharmacist (a consequence of her large size), who yearned for her first real romance but who had little concept for how to attract or interact with men. A man they nicknamed Wallflower with a dysfunctional home life that would be nearly impossible to replicate. The root of the group’s eventual magic, however, was an eighty-two year old MIT engineer who peculiarly projected the number of days that remained his life. And who painted the women in the group nude to help them better understand who they really were. Who taught them that you can’t force relationships. And with whom Kate was trying so very hard not to fall in love. Together they established a set of rules for their gatherings and then proceeded over the next nine months to break them one by one. Emboldened by their unfamiliarity and too much alcohol, they contemplated relationships, sex, love, parenting, and mortality. Their collective evolution was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It was the most incredible experience of her life.

494 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2014

About the author

Bill grew up the third of six children, following his father’s job trail from St. Louis, MO to Pittsfield, MA to Hartford, CT. After a near fatal car accident and, later, the death of his father, Bill became largely independent at a relatively young age.

After graduating from Williams College and then Harvard Business School, Bill spent several years learning the practical side of business at the management consulting firm, Bain & Company. Looking for a more creative challenge, he spent the next two decades as an entrepreneur building three companies from scratch, each with a strikingly unique service model. Before You Move (a relocation services firm with good friend John Marvin), Sterling Autobody Centers (a large chain of collision repair centers with mentor Bob Thompson and others) and Neighborhood Diabetes (a health care services provider with the unequaled Tom Cronin) all continue as significant, thriving companies today. These are the types of start ups that have collectively added a large number of domestic jobs to this country’s economy.

Along the way, Bill and his wife, Polly, have been raising four children in their home outside of Boston. Each of their kids went to public elementary and middle school, and then to a private high school. All the while, Bill and Polly were learning how to be parents.

The great thing about having lots of employees and lots of kids is that it provides an array of incomparable stories about people. People who provide uncommon perspectives, do funny things, less funny things and downright perplexing things. Many of these interactions provided the ingredients for the next chapter of Bill’s career which is to write fiction. I’m Will is his first novel.

Bill is also a passionate believer in the importance of making quality education available to kids as a way to break the poverty-to-prison road that captures too many talented youths today. Along with an incredible group of bright, generous people (Dr. Charles Weiss, Mike Tsotsis, Sean McGrath, Chris Collins, Mike Kaneb, Eric Harthun, George Eldridge, Matt Brunell, Meg Florentine, Alex Zequeira and many, many others), the Nativity School of Worcester, a middle school serving underprivileged youth in Worcester, MA, was opened in 1993. Graduates of the school are performing admirably in private high schools and colleges across the country and the first class will soon be the first members in their families to graduate from college.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and characters of the book had great potential, but I feel it fell short in some areas and just wasn't executed like it could have been. It is a self published book, and unfortunately, there are some areas where that is evident with typos, grammatical issues, sentence structure, and the fact that some of the dialogue seems awkward and is confusing because you just aren't sure anymore who is suppose to be talking. It's a 482 page book that I think could have been condensed and tweaked with the help of an editor to make it dynamic. However, if you can get past those things, I think the book has some great things to offer and an underlying message to bring to readers. Each of the main characters have stories to share and how this misfit group helps each of those characters form stronger relationships than they ever had in their life is interesting. I found myself wanting to finish it, to see how it all turns out for everyone.

[William Sprague · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Bill Haylon's books that I have read, but will definitely read his other two. I tend to judge books by how invested I get into the story, the characters and their development and I was fully invested in this book. I thought the plot design was clever and enjoyed the interaction and evolution of each of the characters.

Life is a process and you have to embrace that process, because some of the stopping points aren't as much fun.

[Tracie Momie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book! Very cool concept...a group of people from various walks of life form a group after answering a Craig-list type ad for people who feel like something is missing from their life. They are a very eclectic group and they help each other (mostly) overcome their various issues. I think the common thread they all have is they are lonely and unfulfilled and the group provides the companionship they are missing.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Sarabellum · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're going to the effort and expense of self-publishing, it would be worth the time and money to hire an editor. And a copy editor.