The Coney Island Book of the Dead, An Illustrated Novel

by Sheila Martin

The Coney Island Book of the Dead, An Illustrated Novel throbs with the kinetic energy and
dark undercurrents of the Coney Island of 1957. It’s imbued with mythical stories from Yiddish and Delta folklore and narrated by a spunky, talented eleven-year-old girl named Brooklyn. In the midst of dysfunctional family crises and supernatural death threats from a rat-pack singer, who may be the Angel of Death, she tries to heal her grief over the death of her grandmother by singing the blues. Each chapter is illustrated with a visionary painting by the author.

Genres: Fiction

323 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2016

About the author

Winner of the 2016 McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize for "The Coney Island Book of the Dead."

Sheila Martin was born in 1946 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Even before her first finger painting she knew she wanted to be a painter.

In 1971 she graduated from New York University, where she earned a B.A. in fine art.
From 1971 to 1979 she worked as a graphic designer in New York City.

In 1979 she moved to Ithaca, New York with her husband Jim Blythe. Here she started a successful graphic design business which specialized in not-for-profit organizations and painted in her spare time.

In 1992, Sheila and Jim moved to Memphis, TN, where Jim landed a job as a medieval history professor. Here she phased out her graphic design business and started painting full time. Shortly thereafter she developed an intense interest in writing and has been writing ever since.

In 2006 she started working closely with master fiction editor Renni Browne coauthor of the classic, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, who helped her write The Coney Island Book of the Dead, An Illustrated Novel which she independently published December 1, 2016 and has won the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize. She’s also written a second novel, The Time Artist, for which she is seeking an agent.

In addition she writes short stories, which she’s recently started sending to literary magazines. She has novel excerpts in the current issues of Ginosko Literary Journal (#19) and The Legenday (#69), Volume One Brooklyn (10-8-17) and she has a piece of flash fiction in the current issue of Earthen Lamp Journal.

Reviews

[Gloria Grisham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nostalgic tale of a pre-teen girl, wandering about the legendary Coney Island amusement grounds during the 1950s in search of an elusive blues singer and his dog - who may or may not be real. Those who grew up in Brooklyn back in the 1950s will appreciate the behind-the-scenes look at the amusement rides and other backdoor alleys and places not accessible to the public. Some fun musical references throughout this story; even Woody Guthrie plays a role. Then there's the mystery element of disappearing characters, plus the mischief of a young girl who frequently finds herself in all kinds of trouble. It's a fun read with many quirky characters and a hidden spiritual side that rears its head during a rousing conclusion.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coney Island Book of the Dead was a fantastic read. Each character was well developed and had many layers to them. The main character who re-named herself Brooklyn, has to figure out who to trust and who not to, how to save her cousin and new found friends, and how to sing the blues from the inside all the while avoiding her crazy Aunt and not getting caught in her Uncle's lounge. Since there are so many layers, getting into each would just spoil the read. To briefly explain the major characters: Brooklyn is adventurous and full of rebellion, though she does have some valid reasons to her actions. Her best friend/cousin Marilyn is very much like Brooklyn but is the daughter of the "crazy aunt". Crazy Aunt Suzie is just that. She is crazy. The things the woman does.... Mississippi and his best friend Cerbis are blues singers traveling from place to place, trying to stay out of trouble. Lenny is an up and coming blues artist that works at the lounge that Brooklyn's uncle owns. The boarder is a crazy old lady that stays at Brooklyn's house. Of course there are other characters that come and go as the book progresses but, I wanted to mention the major ones without giving too much away. This book hits on a few realities we are facing in today's world. The author describes Brooklyn's mom throughout the book and, based off the descriptions, one can presume she has an eating disorder of sorts. It isn't until the end that this is flat out addressed. There is a part in the book that the author eludes to issues of racism though Brooklyn appears to be oblivious to this. Mississippi has to gently explain to a naive Brooklyn that she can't be alone with him or behind closed doors, etc. At the end of the book, again, not to give anything away, the author provides some insight into the character's futures. I really enjoyed that part as it kind of ties up a lot of the strings that a reader may get annoyed with or ponder over. This book is multi-faceted. It has many layers that get more complex as it goes but not so deep down the rabbit hole that the reader begins to lose interest. Truly a great read. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

[Victoria May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story quite a bit. It's a good mystery in a unique place and time (Coney Island, Brooklyn in the 1950s). It does get a bit confusing at times. There are some characters that seem like they are real, but may not be. The Yiddish speaking grandmother seems to show up and then vanish throughout the story, making trouble for the family. The blues singer is another character who intrigues, but may be a figment of a young girl's imagination. The book does a great job of capturing what Coney Island was like in its heyday.

[Corey Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot to like about this nostalgic tale from Brooklyn's legendary playground. A curious pre-teen gets herself into a whole lotta mischief during a romp through Coney Island in the 1950s while trying to unravel a family mystery and on the trail of a mystery bluesman. Each chapter has its own color illustration, which is interesting. The story gets hazy when a Yiddish speaking great grandmother shows up and starts inspiring further trouble. Is this a dream? Is she real? And what role, if any does she have in the family mystery?

[Tara Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheila Martin has crafted a unique reading experience in this book, with an engaging 11-year-old girl from Brooklyn and a fight between the forces of life and death. The storyline is reminiscent of a Neil Gaiman novel, with charmingly creepy characters guiding a winsome young protagonist through a battle between planes of existence, but what distinguishes this book from a mere attempt to copy anyone else is the vivid setting of Coney Island in the 1950s. Between the boarding house with the hilarious Yiddish boarder upstairs, the sights, sounds, and smells of the Boardwalk, and the colorful and intriguing artwork from another world, Martin has created a world that entrances.

[Tonya Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. For the most part, I really liked it. It has a good feel to this story set in Brooklyn in the 1950s. A troubled pre-teen wanders around the amusement grounds of Coney Island in search of a mysterious bluesman, and trying to outrun someone else who may be trying to harm her. The description of the rides and attractions is vivid. Some elements of the story are less clear. There is a great grandmother character hiding up in an apartment above the family house. She speaks some Yidish and causes tension. But is she real or imagined? No matter, there is enough of a story here to keep you guessing to the end. This story had me nostalgic for a Nathan's Famous frank and some crinkle cut fries.

[Glenda Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique story about a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s near the Coney Island amusement park. It's filled with some colorful and creepy illustrations from the author. The girl loves music and finds herself chasing some old-time blues singer around the boardwalk and the nightclubs, searching for... well, she's not quite certain. There are many twists and turns in the story, a few of them veer off into a concurrent spiritual world that can get a little foggy. But the feel of the time and place makes this a likable read.

[Cyrus Cranston · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unique book. The story is enjoyable. The book comes loaded with these obscure illustrations in each chapter, that may or may not relate to the story. I'm no art expert. But I did enjoy the nostalgic trip back to Coney Island in the 1950s when you could buy everything on the Nathan's Famous menu for less than two bucks. The misadventures of the narrator and her cousin are entertaining. The secondary story about possible ghost characters who sing the blues and speak Yiddish can get hazy. But it all gets clearer in the final chapter.

[Sue Whitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look at Coney Island and at adolescence plus great illustrations!

[Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sparkling gem of a novel

[Gemma Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandparents lived in Brooklyn and took me to the rides at Cone Island when I was a kid, so this book was a nostalgic trip for me. I enjoyed the scenery and the history, as well as the places behind the doors and fences that weren't open to the public. The protagonist is a daring young girl with a penchant for getting into trouble, much to the chagrin of her mother. Most of the story is easy to follow, although there are some moments that seem to cross over into spiritual fantasy. It blurs the lines between Brooklyn in the 1950s and the great beyond. Overall, the book has a good feel and will be appreciated by those who visited Coney Island as a kid.

[Katie O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the creepy clown, shady carney, borderline-gothic of semi-gothic YA (is it meant to be a YA?). The magical realism is a tight current undergirding quirky-yet-familiar plot elements and character arcs. The familiarity stems from heavy borrowing of ancient stories and well-tread stereotypes like Cerberus and Jewish grandma-speak (rather heavy-handed accent/dialect, imho). The pull of the weird and the immediacy of the narrator (a likably bold 11 yo who sees & hears other-worldly things) remind me at times of the narrative flow in Gaiman's "American Gods" (on a more simplistic level). Mostly, it's a tribute to Coney Island and an ode to the blues. Both share the spotlight and their twisted, layered histories and impacts are engaging elements. I only just liked the storyline (so I first awarded 2 stars), but the mosaic of elements & writerly choices earned that 3rd one. The images seemed a bit self-publish-y, yet neither added nor detracted to my story immersion experience.

[Sandy Pickwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tale about a teenage girl named Brooklyn who lives in Coney Island and gets herself into all kinds of trouble in her 1950s misadventures. There's a cast of interesting characters including Brooklyn's pill-popping mom, her Yiddish speaking grandmother (who hides up in the attic) and a mysterious blues singer who roams the boardwalk and inspires the girl to discover her voice and ambition. The book takes some odd turns including Brooklyn being locked inside her home by her mother, and a car-stealing scene that leaves her injured. There is lots of nostalgia in here for fans of the many Coney Island attractions. A nice escape into a simpler time.

[Toby Marden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A troubled teen today is probably a lot more serious in the 2010s than back in the 1950s. And that is probably what made me enjoy this book as much as I did. The story is primarily about a pre-teen girl named Brooklyn, who has a penchant for getting mischief in a far more innocent era. She's not off chasing teenage boys, getting tattooed, or getting hooked on drugs. Instead, she is on a wild search for a blue singer who hangs out on the boardwalk of Coney Island with his dog. She wanders into adult only clubs, the mechanical closets and alleys of the Coney Island theme park, and even steals a car. It's a nostalgic story that shows us how trouble-making of yesteryear is much easier on the nerves than it is as a parent for teens today.