Needs Work

by John Sheppard

Once upon a time in Cleveland... Phil Derleth, a former Army "combat cartoonist," comes home to Cleveland, Ohio after a messy divorce. Phil is brain-damaged from a war wound and there are holes in his memory. His father Larry, a stone mason living on disability, takes him in. Soon enough, Phil finds himself embroiled in all sorts of trouble, including dodging the Ohio Department of Transportation, blood-stealing tramps, the ghost of his dead mother and stray dogs who are more than they appear to be. One stray in particular will show Phil the way back to a life that he may have forgotten.

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 13, 2019

About the author

A veteran of the U.S. Army, John Sheppard's short stories have appeared in Bridge magazine, the2ndhand and Exquisite Corpse. He is a frequent contributor to ParagraphLine.com and B2L2.com.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheppard is working at some of his best with the story at this one. I love the melding of the absurd and normal and the full range of emotion Sheppard hits, all while staying tight to the story. I would put this as one of my favorite of Sheppard's, and I've certainly read a few.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads like a comedic fever dream. The right amount of humor, heart, and weirdness that I want in a story. It reads like a Charlie Kaufman movie, and I cannot recommend it enough.

[Caren Gittleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually requested a copy of this book when I saw it in my email 1) because I am from Cleveland, Ohio (lived there 35 years) 2) The author mentioned cartooning (my father was an Editorial Cartoonist at the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio for 30 years...the Plain Dealer was referenced many times in this book) 3) I thought it was a book that could appear on my dog's blog where I have done MANY book reviews about dogs.

I was sitting here reading other reviews on Good Reads and have to agree with many of them that were kind of "scratching their heads"....it also took ME more than halfway through the book to understand what was going on.

Believe it or not, the author's bio should be in the FRONT of the book because if that is read first, readers will have a much better idea of what is taking place.

Being from Cleveland, Ohio I LOVED the many, many references to Cleveland, the suburbs, the RTA (which if you aren't from Cleveland you would have NO CLUE as to what the author was talking about) and more. Even the references to the Cavs, Indians and Browns won't resonate with anyone who isn't from Cleveland.

I am going to quote a few other people here because what they wrote is pretty much how I felt too after reading/finishing this book:

"I am scratching my head because I am not sure what to think or say about this book. It will grab your attention! It was definitely different."

"Strays are not stray. You will find that they are people whom we have allowed to lose their way and to live on the fringe of society. We can do better."

"I would call this a strange and jumpy story narrated my an Iraq War vet with a brain injury and PTSD. I will be completely honest and say I had to reread many pages and struggled to get through this book. "

"This is a story. It is a stream -of -consciousness tale that has hallucinations, PTSD and brain damage. One could wax poetic about the meaning of everything or say nothing at all. It is a truly bizarre tale that the reader will either love or hate."

Once I understood what was going on, I WAS moved by how "strays" as in dogs and humans are sorely neglected, abused, ignored and more. The title "Needs Work" is surely applicable as it would be for ALL OF US because we are ALL FLAWED in some way.

[Jillybeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, I was mad when I learned Sheppard had written a book that didn’t feature Audrey Novak. As usual, I got over it because, as usual, it’s an excellent/weird/relatable story. I cried a lot at the end, and I don’t care who knows it.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early in Needs Work, Phil Derleth watches his Mustang burn with all his worldly possessions inside. For him, it’s just the latest shove into the downward spiral of failure which is his life. Not coming home before his mother died. Suffering a traumatic brain injury in combat. The disintegration of his marriage.

Before even reaching chapter two, Phil had become Bad Luck Schleprock from The Flintstones to me. Wowsie wowsie woo woo. If he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have none at all.

The story unfolds from Phil’s point of view, and it’s hard to believe people could be so cruel and distant, especially his waffle-obsessed father, Larry, who calls him dummy. But as contempt and anger morph into absurdity and the impossible (and dogs into people and back again), the light comes on.

This IS told from Phil’s point of view.

To heal from his TBI, Phil has to come to terms and accept not only how his injury happened but everything that came before in his life. Needs Work isn‘t about Phil finding employment (although he does go to work at the Buy and Bye), but reclaiming himself. His brain needs work. His life is a puzzle missing pieces, and while people like his first crush, Patty, his old Army buddies, his father and his band of cohorts, his dead mother, Marie, and a husky/human named Katie provide the pieces, it’s up to Phil to place them correctly and complete the picture.

Needs Work has been called contemporary fiction and magical realism, but there’s also a love story here… you just have to take a trip down the rabbit hole to get to it.

But it’s worth it.

Enjoy!

[Andra Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know what I was getting into when I began reading this story, and initially, I thought I made a mistake in reading it. However, as the story unfolded, I saw what the author was doing with the tale of Phil and Katie. If you have no experience with the military, this may be a little challenging to comprehend. Those with an open mind and heart will get this story regardless of their experience. Forgiveness begins with self, and this story makes that a real thing. The characters in this story are flawed almost to the brink of redemption. However, love can make all things right, as can Grace. There are tons of both in this book. I came to love and understand the characters and, even more so, their circumstances. Strays are not stray. You will find that they are people whom we have allowed to lose their way and to live on the fringe of society. We can do better.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. As I’ve said before, I always give honest reviews whether people appreciate them or not.

This story begins with down on his luck Phil watching his old Mustang die a horrid death in front of his dad’s house. Sighs. Phil was fired, had an ugly divorce and just drove back ‘home’ with nothing to do. He’s a war vet from the first Iraq War and has a few issues. Where is home? Cleveland, Ohio. His father, Larry, is a disabled stone mason. He’s also a jerk. His mom has since passed away, but her ghost is still in the house. Oh, and Larry has been hiding out from the Ohio Department of Transportation, why? I don’t know. There are stray dogs all over Cleveland that are being caught and euthanized. One stray dog, Katie, helps protect Phil one day and then sticks with him. Of course, Katie can speak and shift to human, but that’s normal right?

So, I really had no idea what this book was really about, I just chose it because it was different and looked interesting. Parts of this book were funny, but not in the ‘funny ha-ha’ way, in the sadly ironic way. Both Phil and (human) Katie fought together in Iraq. They definitely have PTSD, but he seems to still be recovering from serious head wounds. I liked the story, sort of, but half the time I had no idea what was going on. Honestly, if I was from Cleveland, or Ohio, or had even ever been there I might have liked the story more since the story was as much about the city as it was about the characters. Frankly, I liked the city more than Larry or some of the other characters. I have never read anything by Mr. Sheppard before, but this was interesting enough that I can’t say I won’t read something more after this.

[Karen L Ledee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars****. I am scratching my head because I am not sure what to think or say about this book. It will grab your attention! It was definitely different. A veteran ends up with a severe head injury in Afghanistan and spends a fair amount of time in a hospital learning how to do everything all over again. He ultimately ends up back in his Cleveland hometown with his widowed father. Now then, here’s where the rubber meets the road.... there’s reality, there’s dreams and there is an alternate hallucinatory place. The story flips from reality, then what seems to be a flashback and into a place where people shift into stray dogs. You are never really sure where he’s going to be at any given moment. Oh, and his father only makes waffles; normal breakfast type sweet ones and a peculiar savoury type for dinner. Most odd! Interesting, for sure. After reading a blurb by the author at the end, I wonder if some of this is a kind of autobiography of him. Not sure of its genre classification... mystery? Paranormal? Something to read when you are in between your usual reading material and want something different to spring out of the doldrums!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would call this a strange and jumpy story narrated my an Iraq War vet with a brain injury and PTSD. I will be completely honest and say I had to reread many pages and struggled to get through this book. I have not read anything else by this author so perhaps this is the way true write. The narrator, Phil “sees” and speaks to his deceased mother and his military friend Katie who served in the war with him, who shifts from a dog to a person. His car burns up on his first day home with his father and the story touches on his ex wife and daughter who has kicked him out due to his erratic behaviour. While I understand this book is written to show you how his mind works because of this Brian damage and PTSD it was just too much for my brain to absorb. I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC but it was not to my liking.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I admit that I fell in love with that dog on the cover - love that face. But while reading this book, I felt a connection, crazy as it may be, to this Philyb as he struggles with his disability and as usual, people just see crazy. Never mind that this man gave his brain and basically his life in service. I am a retired Air Force veteran so I get it. I understood the jumps from reality to maybe not so much reality but the dogs were a great feature of this story. I loved it and pray others get it too. My undamaged brain returned from service with a desire to help disabilities. I work with children with disabilities but I would love to work with vets who gave more than just years.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross Between Catch 22, Hunter S Thompson, LSD and Salvador Dali
This is a story. It is a stream -of -consciousness tale that has hallucinations, PTSD and brain damage. One could wax poetic about the meaning of everything or say nothing at all. It is a truly bizarre tale that the reader will either love or hate. I received this ARC book for free from Booksprouts and this is my honest review.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange, short, unpredictable, interesting tale written by an experience author. It may not be for everyone. I may have to circle back to some of his earlier works. Recommended.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. Took almost TIL the end to understand the ghost/dog/shimmering/disappearing etc. not linear in any way I can see.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me this arc