Dressing Stone: A Post-Postmodern Picaresque

by Scott Feero

Much more than a Literary Romance, Dressing Stone takes you into the mind of a artist struggling with his reasons to work, his reasons to persist, his reasons to endure, ultimately his reasons to love and to live. Witty and intelligent. Biting and caustic. Always unpredictable. The sexual tension between the characters builds like a bolero.

Craig Plummer, a sculptor once known as DeBris, and among the last of the artists mentored by Warhol, has lost his creative drive after experiencing a series of tragedies, culminating with the death of his first wife.

Scraping by working as a residential remodeling contractor in Park Slope, Brooklyn, his client's new nanny, Nina Brown abruptly enters his life. Love at first sight, the recently remarried artist struggles to convince himself that he despises the girl.

Despite his resistance, he is caught in Nina’s thrall and in an all out effort to sublimate his desires for her, he throws himself back into his work with what he believes is a renewed inspiration. But the muse’s presence is so persistent that she invades his mind, taking possession of his work, body and soul.

A fleeting infatuation…? A disinterested muse…? A secret mistress…? Or does Nina ultimately become The Work itself…?

Book Description on Amazon:

Facing a life altering trauma, Craig Plummer, the once renowned sculptor known as DeBris, has an affair with a client’s nanny, the stunning Nina Brown. He’s tried everything—and his new found lover is game for anything.

Drawing the artist out, his muse creates more turmoil than either of the lovers bargained for. He's married, for a start, and in the middle of a crazy job. But the relationship becomes an obsession that sends the pair off on a quixotic road trip from Brooklyn to Seattle—and straight into a confrontation with Nina’s troubled past.
 
The deceptively mature Nina has been sent away from Seattle by her parents to get her out from under the influence of her Grunge loving, drug addled friends. 

Will Nina help resurrect the artist known as DeBris, or will she just be another millstone dragging him down?  

Will the artist save the nanny or are they both doomed by the impulses they just cannot say no to?


FROM THE BACK COVER (Paperback)

Set against the backdrop of Kurt Cobain's impending suicide in 1994, Dressing Stone transports you into the mind of an artist--not always the most glamorous milieu--but the ideal setting for passion, obsession and an overarching creative madness. Dressing Stones is the story of an artist's search for inspiration, his search for a muse that will draw him out of his dark night of the soul, and lead him away from his self-doubts and back to the creative process--back to the realm of vision and revision and ultimately back to his commitment to The Great Work.

398 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2018

About the author

Scott Feero has been an award winning filmmaker, a performing musician, a sometime painter, and a writer since high school. A master carpenter, the artist chose to support himself in construction rather than follow his colleagues into academia. When not working for a living, this master plan allowed Mr Feero to follow the unfettered pursuit of his interests in art, science and the human condition by invoking the model of the Natural Philosophers, and his motto: 'All For the Pure Interest of It All.'

Reviews

[Brittany Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a person of the arts myself, this book totally enveloped me. It was such a fun experience learning what a bolero was, and how this story fit that style. I loved it! Every time you thought the story was going to go a certain way you got taken on another path, which was a hell of a crazy ride.

Definitely not for the faint at heart. 'Dressing Stone' packs a serious uppercut to those who may not know the industry of an artist. It is dark, deep, sensual, artistic, maddening, passionate, in all its glory- the good and bad it is plain fucked up. How one continues on through all of it or makes the most out of it despite the travesties, is where the real beauty lies.

"The problem with perfect beauty is that the slightest imperfections stand out, ..."

"Probably the same beef that crops up with every black sheep living with a herd of dense bovine."

"I'm glad you said you wanted to do nothing, because in a relationship you spend more time doing nothing than doing something, and if you can't enjoy doing nothing together, you can't enjoy doing anything together.

Contains Awareness on:
Autism, Art, Music, HIV/AIDS, Drug abuse, Domestic Violence

This story was absolutely shocking in the best ways. So shocking and written in such an artistic way that this book will be with me for all my days forever in my mind, that's how big of an impact it had on me.

You may love this book as I did, if:
You like/d the band Nirvana
Love Art or The Arts
Love thrillers
Love shock factors
Like the Punk/Rock Scene

This story may be hard for some to digest, but I loved every messed up bit of it. Thanks to author Scott Feero for the PDF copy. All reviews are my own and voluntary.

[Goutam Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very unique story.I would like to read such kind of stories.But it held my interest, and I actually enjoyed even the odd transgressive moments that made me blanche.I felt at times the author, a male, really does understood what it means to be a woman (from the adoration to the harassment to the outright abuse) Overall, a good written read.Thank you.

[Mary Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spark of sexual tension. Sculptor Craig Plummer, reeling from the death of his wife, finds new focus on Nina, his client’s caretaker. He immerses too quickly that her muse status to his creativity is never to be seen. Deep attraction jumps to regret, then obsession. All this goo, yet SCOT FEERO remains literary.

[Steven G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can a creatively moribund, emotionally addled artist harboring shameful and tragic secrets enjoy life with a striving, never home, lawyer wife? Currently working as a residential contractor for the denizens of early hipster Brooklyn, he resents having to grovel on the rock pile, and despises the poseurs of the New York art scene. Finally, he casts off on a cross-country road trip with a client’s nanny, a deceivingly young, pill-popping Kurt Cobain devotee of mind-blowing sexy transformations.

Along their reckless journey, the sculptor and his muse do battle with the walking dead of the early 90’s Grunge era, lurching into bizarre, terrifying, sometimes hallucinatory adventures and mishaps. In their banter and arguments, they lob graphic, alliterative insults at each other with dizzying and hilarious rapier wit. Will our self-identity challenged hero find redemption and renewal in destination Seattle, or disaster?

This original, picaresque novel engages the reader on many levels. Offering at intersecting points glimpses into, or lessons, in the applied art process; erudite analysis of celebrated works and figures of the art world, along with the salacious thrills of trashy romance or pulp fiction; it’s simply a fun and unpredictable read. The writing is snappy and smooth – but keep your dictionary or Wikipedia app, nearby. In random and unexpected places, the author enjoys throwing in the most esoteric references and teaser SAT words just to keep you entertained.

Highly recommended.

[Marie (UK) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
If I am honest I think I am being very generous with a 2 star rating but have stuck with that for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I don't think this was ever my type of book but I found I didn't want to put it down and i wanted to know what happened. Secondly I kind of liked the Characterisation of Nina and Craig in the New york setting, neither of them were angels but they sparked. The Autism storyline also held my interest.

However the second part was just too crazy, unbelievable and downright senseless in parts and As i got to the two-thirds mark I just found myself wishing it was over. The length of time it has taken me to struggle through this is excessive for the low amount of enjoyment from the story line. The ending was in itself deeply disappointing

[Rong Donu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is one of the best book.This was an entertaining read, though it hit a little close to home. I'm an artist, although I don't- thank God- have DeBris' level of problems, I know what it is to be creatively blocked. It kept me reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. I'm not going to spoil the ending other than to say it took a twist towards the end that I did not see coming at all. Overall, it was a very entertaining novel and even if you are not an artist you would enjoy this novel. This book is too earnest to be considered satire (Trust me, those problems the artist has, they exist). Extracting humor from painful situations is not satire. Maybe more like irony.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

The author gets 5 stars for best use of vocabulary. Had to keep looking up the meanings of words as I read which improved my vocabulary.

While there were a lot of interesting comments about art and artists, I felt the interactions between the two main characters had too much unnecessary detail. The story was a bit long. Most of the characters had gritty personalities and lives that were uncomfortable to read about. The story is contemporary and reflects some of the current social ills this country suffers from.

[Mark A Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Scott Feero is holding the gun in this shotgun marriage of Vladimir Nabokov [Lolita] and Hunter Thompson [Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]. The ceremony is officiated by Thomas Pynchon, who, like the priest in any porn film, gets in on the action. Witnessed and notarized by Lawrence Sterne, Esq. Great read on the state of contemporary American culture. Feero has done something which is almost impossible— make the New York Art Scene seem a passing fancy.

[Page]

I was trying to give this book an honest chance but my reading time is too short to spend on a book that isn't working for me. I don't like Craig. I don't like his lifestyle. I don't like the voice or pace of this book. I don't like the narrator's attempt at NY accents. Its painful to listen to.

[Debu Sana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book. I like it

[Rathin Madhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique

This was an interesting read. It’s not my style, but it was very well written and wonderfully detailed. It’s definitely one to set aside time to read.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read, very unique. While there were erotic scenes and sexual tension, it was a good read. Recommended reading.

[Janice Lombardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your classic fiction story! A unique look at modern/post-modern day life. Great character development and plotline! A MUST read!!!