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Thirteen year-old Tim Holter wants to tell you about his day. In his small Midwestern town a bartender has killed himself. A boy’s new bicycle has been trashed and the boy’s big brother intends to find out who did it. Before noon Mrs. Plummer will stand stark naked in Matsen’s Bakery and Tim will meet a pretty classmate under less than ideal circumstances. After lunch Mr. Schwartzentraub will introduce Tim and his friends to a mysterious chemical compound that has far more uses than Mr. Schwartzentraub could have imagined. And that evening, as the Square fills for a band concert, the boys will set forth on a mission of revenge that leaves everyone, even Officer Burkholtz, with a lot to think about.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2013
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Doug Ingold
12 books5 followersI am the father of two adult children, a daughter and a son, and the mother of six adult novels, though on first inspection, the third, SQUARE, may appear rather child-like. The sixth EVERYWHERE BUT HERE has been written and has begun its the long journey toward publication. Reports suggest it should arrive before the end of 2024.
I was born in Peoria, Illinois and grew up in a small town nearby, the son of a factoryworker and a bank teller, though I come from a long line of Mennonite farmers. I graduated from Washington Community High School. I got a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a law degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign.
Between Carbondale and Champaign my first wife and I served in the Peace Corps in Brazil.
My first position as a lawyer was with the Legal Aid Bureau in Chicago; then, back in Carbondale, I became the director of the Jackson and Williamson Counties offices of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation. From 1976 until 2019 I maintained a private legal practice in Garberville, California where I was also the part owner of Wolfenden, a publishing company.
Since retiring, my wife and I have divided our time between the Redwood Coast of Northern California and the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
The five published novels are:
IN THE BIG CITY. Jason Winter, a small-town leather craftsman, father of a two-year-old and husband of an up-and-coming lawyer, tries to adjust to life in Chicago.
THE HENDERSON MEMORIES. Connie meets Clint in Vancouver, hoping to discover the truth about her late parents’ past in Brazil, and her own.
SQUARE. In thirteen-year-old Tim Holter’s small Midwestern town, Mr. Schwartzentraub will introduce Tim and his friends to a mysterious chemical compound that has far more uses than Mr. Schwartzentraub could have imagined.
ROSYLAND: A NOVEL IN THREE ACTS. Set in Oregon, Tahoe, San Francisco and the wilds of Rosyland, the novel contains a lot of characters, frequent changes of focus and more than a few shenanigans.
THERE CAME A CONTAGION, based my wife’s vivid former-life memory, tells the story of a family of sixteenth century peasant farmers who gets caught up in a wave of witch trials sweeping across Germany.
I have also released SHORT AND SHORTER, a collection of short stories.
I was born in Peoria, Illinois and grew up in a small town nearby, the son of a factoryworker and a bank teller, though I come from a long line of Mennonite farmers. I graduated from Washington Community High School. I got a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a law degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign.
Between Carbondale and Champaign my first wife and I served in the Peace Corps in Brazil.
My first position as a lawyer was with the Legal Aid Bureau in Chicago; then, back in Carbondale, I became the director of the Jackson and Williamson Counties offices of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation. From 1976 until 2019 I maintained a private legal practice in Garberville, California where I was also the part owner of Wolfenden, a publishing company.
Since retiring, my wife and I have divided our time between the Redwood Coast of Northern California and the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
The five published novels are:
IN THE BIG CITY. Jason Winter, a small-town leather craftsman, father of a two-year-old and husband of an up-and-coming lawyer, tries to adjust to life in Chicago.
THE HENDERSON MEMORIES. Connie meets Clint in Vancouver, hoping to discover the truth about her late parents’ past in Brazil, and her own.
SQUARE. In thirteen-year-old Tim Holter’s small Midwestern town, Mr. Schwartzentraub will introduce Tim and his friends to a mysterious chemical compound that has far more uses than Mr. Schwartzentraub could have imagined.
ROSYLAND: A NOVEL IN THREE ACTS. Set in Oregon, Tahoe, San Francisco and the wilds of Rosyland, the novel contains a lot of characters, frequent changes of focus and more than a few shenanigans.
THERE CAME A CONTAGION, based my wife’s vivid former-life memory, tells the story of a family of sixteenth century peasant farmers who gets caught up in a wave of witch trials sweeping across Germany.
I have also released SHORT AND SHORTER, a collection of short stories.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 31, 2014
Disclaimer: I know the author, who is a lawyer in my small town, and have read and enjoyed his previous (and very different) novels.
Although I shelved this with the young adult reads, it may best strike a chord in the hearts of those who have actually lived through a day or two in the 1950's, the time in which the young (13 year old) Tim Holter narrates the adventures and mysteries of his life in small town USA, circa 1953. Ingold's descriptions are spot on, bringing back memories of forgotten summer afternoons, tastes, sounds, and yearnings. The book may work even better for those who were boys back in the 1950's, but it certainly did the trick for me.
The plot is really...well, pretty simple; the essence of the book is in the re-creation of a time long past, in the words of a smart and innocent (though quite cheeky) kid; it's kind of Ingold's much sweeter version of, say, the Catcher in the Rye--a coming of age story that sweeps you gently along with it.
I'm going to be really curious to hear how folks of the new generation respond to this book.
Although I shelved this with the young adult reads, it may best strike a chord in the hearts of those who have actually lived through a day or two in the 1950's, the time in which the young (13 year old) Tim Holter narrates the adventures and mysteries of his life in small town USA, circa 1953. Ingold's descriptions are spot on, bringing back memories of forgotten summer afternoons, tastes, sounds, and yearnings. The book may work even better for those who were boys back in the 1950's, but it certainly did the trick for me.
The plot is really...well, pretty simple; the essence of the book is in the re-creation of a time long past, in the words of a smart and innocent (though quite cheeky) kid; it's kind of Ingold's much sweeter version of, say, the Catcher in the Rye--a coming of age story that sweeps you gently along with it.
I'm going to be really curious to hear how folks of the new generation respond to this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review