Return Addresses

by Michael A. McLellan

“This ain't your world. You don’t have any friends out here. Not real ones. No one out here cares about nothin' but where their next drink or fix is comin' from. That, or they were born too messed up in the head to even understand what friendship is. Remember that. You can't trust nobody. You can't rely on no one but yourself.”

Fourteen-year-old Sean Pennington never thought he’d find himself riding on an open train car in the middle of the night. He never thought he’d find himself alone. He never thought he’d be running for his life.

In the spring of 2019 Sean Pennington’s world of comfort and privilege is shattered and he becomes a ward of the state. Thrust into a broken foster care system, he discovers the harsh realities of orphanhood. Lonely, confused, and tormented by his peers, he runs away, intending to locate his only living relative; a grandfather he’s never met, who his only connection with is a return address on a crumpled envelope. Enter Andrea, a modern day hobo Sean meets at a California homeless encampment. Andrea travels the country by rail, stowing away on shipping container cars with other transients calling themselves traveling kids. Though battling her own demons, road-savvy Andrea promises to help Sean on his quest, but can she protect him from the unpredictable and often violent world she lives in?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

278 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2020

About the author

Michael A. McLellan is an American author of fiction. To date, Michael has published five novels, including three books in The Americans series: In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree, The Scout of Wounded Knee, and Joe Little and the Indian School.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

The blog tour for Return Addresses begins today! While you’re there, enter for a chance to win a $20 dollar Amazon gift card! https://readrantrockandroll.com/2020/...

Michael McLellan’s new book Return Addresses is a story about a young teen (Sean) who is dealing with grief and loss after losing both his parents. Sean is quickly thrust into protective services which places him in a problematic group home. Now he’s left to navigate all the turmoil that goes with it before deciding to take matters into his own hands.

“The world’s a tough place and life deals us all a bad hand now and then but you can’t use it as an excuse to feel sorry for yourself and break the law whenever you want. You have to buck up and play the hand you’re dealt. You have to decide what sort of man you want to be.”

This was definitely an emotional read for me; my heart was racing at times...and then came tears. It’s written well with description and detail that pulls you in too. With that said, the events in this book about did me in, and no doubt there are triggers for certain readers. I’m not going to share these triggers because it’s my belief they can spoil a story. Needless to say, this book was hard to read at times, but it had such a hold on me that I couldn’t stop. I had to discover Sean’s fate, I was totally invested in him, and for that I simply couldn’t put this book down. The ending came fast, but it was wrapped up well and satisfied me.

This book deals with multiple themes including courage, survival, death, displacement, injustice, and also deals with racism at times. It’s a scary reminder of the vulnerability of children and the weak in the hands of others with power.

Michael McLellan has captivated me again with this new book. What a ride! I can’t wait for the next.

5 stars

You can read this review and others @ www.readrantrockandroll.com

[Andy Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think my favourite thing about Michael McLellan's books is that they're so deeply, deeply unpredictable. Both here and in his earlier work, 'In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree', I was never, at any point, able to guess what was going to happen beyond the next chapter. Reading McLellan's work is the literary equivalent of taking a ride on a crazy rollercoaster, blindfolded, a hundred times without stopping. It will leave you exhilarated, shaky, and gasping for more.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Return Addresses”, was a train wreck that I couldn’t pull away from....
until I could!
Around the 50% mark, it became so disturbing for me....
I was done.....ANGRY
- DISGUSTED...and DONE....
But damn......
I returned to it....
Against my better ( personal well being), judgement.

I think most readers will grip this book - hold their breath - and read it in one sitting.
The writing is seamless—flowing effortlessly—-
But it was such an unpleasant experience for me—
I hated it in the end!

There were moments where I definitely had to suspend belief......starting with questioning why a single father, who loved his son, provided love, protection, and quality education opportunities — didn’t have a will written up — as to who would be the legal guardian for Sean —in case of his death? I had other areas where I had to suspend belief, too.... but storytelling was DEFINITELY GRIPPING...
& EMOTIONAL.

This is a book worth discussing with your buddies.
I recommend it —( if you can handle its content)....
Yet.....( know I hated it - hated reading and feeling as I did)....
It was NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD DISTURBING!!! .....
more than any book I’ve read this year!!!


I HATED IT....
YET.... it’s worth a solid 4 stars in my opinion ....
I can’t give it 5 stars because - for me - I felt that with a little more revised writing— I wouldn’t have had to suspend belief anywhere— adding a little more authentic feeling to a youth at risk.... due to a major breakdown with our social welfare system.

We often use the phrase... “we are taken on a journey”... in books we read....
Ha.... well, this book takes that phrase to a whole new level!!!!

I read it in one sitting ( with one tantrum at 50%)....
It’s......
THE MOST GUT WRENCHING BOOK I’ve read all year!!!!
I recommend it.... page turning easy-flowing-prose—
Intimate- with a wonderful 14 year old character named Sean.
However... be aware it taps into our emotions brutally!!


*Michael McLellan* is a very skillful writer - a shame he is a household name-author yet.
He’s an author readers should read!!!!
Michael’s novel “In The Shadow of the Hanging Tree”.... was one of the most extraordinary Civil War books I have ever read.

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 4 out of 5]

”’What’s fly a sign mean?’ Sean asked.

Andrea bent down, unzipped the top of her pack, and removed a battered square of cardboard. She held it up for Sean. Written in large block letters with a black maker was:

Travelling
Anything helps

‘We hold these up and wait for people to give us money. It’s how we survive.’

Sean felt stupid for not making the connection himself. ‘Is that what spange means too?’

‘Yep. Same thing. Spare change...spange.’”

Bad things happen to good people. We’ve all seen it, and maybe we have experienced it as well. When the school counselor, Mrs. Richmand, comes to Sean’s classroom door and motions that she needs to see him, he has that sinking feeling of imminent doom. Ferris Bueller isn’t waiting outside to whisk him away in a “borrowed” 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder for a fun-filled day in Chicago. Sean isn’t cast in a comedy movie from the 1980s. He is in something more like Groundhog Day, only without the comic relief from Bill Murray. This is déjà vu. He’s seen this scene before when they had come to tell him about his mother.

”An estimated 1.5 million US children lose one or both parents by the age of 15, comprising about five percent of the population.”--Virgie Townsend. The chances of a child losing both parents before the age of 18 is about 5000/1. Sean Pennington wins the worst lottery imaginable.

His mother was killed in a car accident three years ago. His father has now been killed in a work accident. There is no chance to say goodbye. They are gone before Sean can even understand the possibility that this can happen to him. His memories with his family are going to be wrapped in gossamer and will always be fewer than they are supposed to be. He is an orphan.

His father has designated his best friend, Dave, to take care of Sean if the worst happens. Because of an incident that happened 15 years ago when Dave was battling with his wife and the bottle, Dave is deemed unsuitable by Child Protective Services. Sean’s father has known Dave for decades, but an organization that doesn’t know him at all decides to override the wishes of the father and throw Sean into a group foster home.

Sean gets educated on state institutions very quickly.

His only chance to keep out of the foster system is to find a grandfather he has never met, who lives in Montana, and has been unreachable by CPS. He is fourteen years old, and he is going to have to find a way to get from California to Montana. He can’t buy a bus or train ticket. He can’t rent a car, but staying in foster care is a slow death.

He hops the fence.

Sean quickly discovers that his bubble existence under the protective wing of a parent has not prepared him at all for what he is about to experience. The education he began in the group home ratchets up another thousand percent once he is on the road. He meets Andrea, who shows him how to hitchhike, how to get spange, and how to ride the rails like the hoboes from the 1920s.

Can he learn the rules of the road quickly enough to stay alive? Can he stay out of the clutches of those who prey on runaways? Will he meet enough of the right people? Can he find his grandfather and live happily ever after?

This book is a blend of horrifying circumstances and wonderful acts of kindness. This is a work of fiction, but it is based upon real stories that have been shared with the author from travelling kids. The situations which Sean finds himself in are painfully realistic, but also leading to what we hope is a better future. What I really appreciate about Sean is his ability, at age fourteen, to assess his situation with a more mature level of objectivity and understanding. He doesn’t need a Magic Eight Ball to see that CPS is going to be an infeasible situation for him, that the road will be fraught with danger, and that there may not be a Waltons’ homecoming waiting for him in Montana, but he has a goal, and as bad as things will get, he keeps his eyes on the prize.

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.”
― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

I challenged Michael to a 50 yard dash. If I won, he would have to answer my questions. If he won, he’d have to answer my questions. I sort of mumbled that last part, then said, GO! He insists that I tripped him at the starting line. I don’t know what he’s talking about. He also said I pushed him. Okay, so when he caught up with me and was about to pass me, for the good of my followers and readers, I may have nudged him a bit. I wasn’t taking any chances. Regardless of the spurious accusations and the outrageous charge that I outright cheated, it is indisputable that I crossed the finish line first, and so he begrudgingly agreed to answer my questions. I soothed him with a glass of extra tart lemonade that made him crosseyed for a moment and started slinging questions at him.

Jeffrey D. Keeten: What I kept thinking about as I was reading this book was the restraint you were maintaining. A plot like this could be a Stephen King 600 pages, but you elected to keep the story tight. I have a feeling there is another 200 hundred pages of Return Addresses on the cutting room floor. As Stephen King says in On Writing, “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings.” Talk about your editing process, and how many little darlings did you have to kill?

Michael A. McLellan: I imagine that each individual novelist finds some parts of the process more challenging than others, and I know many struggle with cutting words or veering off with sidelines. I don't suffer from those particular maladies, though I have many others. The original manuscript was around 80k words. I chopped somewhere around 15k of those, almost all of which were at the end of the book. I'm laughing a little as I write because I read ahead and saw one of your questions is about the ending.

JDK: I've had some experiences with the foster care system. I had a friend whose child was taken away from them, and it was heartbreaking the process they had to go through to get their teenage child back. I can remember the lawyer telling the parents that Child Protective Services involves a low level of proof. That line has always stuck with me...low level of proof. That doesn't sound like the basis of our legal system. Anything in the parents' past or any potential guardian is scrutinized and judged very harshly. Once the state has the child, it takes a legal war to get him back. I have a friend who is a representative in the neighboring state of Arkansas, and because of some of the stories that were coming to him, he was trying to impose some restraint on the powers of CPS. Everyone wants children to be safe, but in too many cases it is at the expense of the rights of a parent or potential guardian, and in many cases doesn't end up keeping the child safe. It's a minefield, and I watched you Fred Astaire your way through it. How do we, in your opinion, go about fixing CPS and foster care?

MAM: I wish I had a simple solution, but it's an extremely complex problem, and I just can't see one. I see plenty of problems: Across the board there's no consistency in why a child is taken from his or her parents or guardian; one child may be taken from a parent who is caught selling marijuana and another may be left with a parent who has three or four felonies for illegal weapons and methamphetamine. Some die of abuse after multiple reports to CPS from family and neighbors over periods of years. Ground level CPS/social workers are often under-trained, under-paid, and have ridiculously large caseloads. The court systems are jammed-packed and slow as molasses; there aren't enough families who take-in foster children, and many of the ones that do are doing it for the money and not for the altruism. What this under-qualified writer thinks may help with the foster care system and many other problematic government agencies is some sort of private over-site and, in some cases, a larger budget if said over-site deems it necessary to improve. My opinion is that the government is terrible at managing money and necessary public processes. Public schools, USPS, DMV... all terribly inefficient and in many cases, such as the public school system and the foster system, ineffective and sometimes dangerous.

JDK: So did you subscribe to the Marlon Brando method of acting and apply it to your writing by hopping a freight in California to Cheyenne, Wyoming? haha! Okay, so probably not, but share with us some of your research into riding the rails.
MAM: My son was a traveling kid, or hobo, for more than a decade. I could write ten books with all of the material he and the many people he brought home with him over the years provided me with.

JDK: Okay, so Douglas Spaulding is still my favorite child character, but I must admit that Sean Pennington did grow on me. What I liked about him was that he never made a stupid decision. Some of his decisions went sideways, as they tend to do when any of us are outside of our bubble and trying to navigate the real world. I can't say how much I appreciated you advancing the plot without resorting to a...don't-open-that-door type situation that drives most b-level horror films. I was really glad, though, that you put some teeth into this novel. There are some tough scenes in the book, but they were necessary, otherwise you would have a Hallmark Channel boy-riding-the-freight-with-his-homeless-dog-Bones-to-Montana type story. You could have put the bad stuff offstage, but you elected to show the reader what was happening. Did you have fears this would upset some of your readers?

MAM: American Flowers, In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree, and Return Addresses all share one common thread and it's that all three of them walk a very thin line between non-fiction and fiction. I know some scenes in these books can be hard to read, and I know I've upset some (quite a few) readers, but I write the world I see, and the world can be an ugly place. Dreams don't always come true and there isn't always a happy ending. Hopefully though, I've done my job in tempering some of that by also showing the depths of human empathy, kindness, and forgiveness. I have to place my trust in readers to be able to tell the difference between realism and gratuitousness.

JDK:I really liked the ending. I know we can't talk about the ending, but I loved the way you tied everything up, but left us with a mystery. I know most readers don't like dangling strings left unresolved, but I believe that real life is full of the unanswered questions and that fiction should reflect that. I like pondering about some things after I turn the last page. Many readers are uncomfortable being put in the position to write some of the story, which is really too bad. How often do we wish we could do more of that with our real lives? The bad guy isn't always punished. The good guy doesn't always win. Life is rarely tied up in a neat little bow, but fiction these days is supposed to always tell us everything, resolve everything. How do you feel about strings left unpulled, dangling questions, in the fiction you read?

MAM: As a reader, I don't need to know everything. I was one of what seemed to be a very small handful of people who were happy with Stephen King's original ending to the Dark Tower series. I was completely satisfied without the coda. And like Mr. King stated, it's the journey, right?
I said earlier that there was another 15k words to Return Addresses. Well, that 15k buttoned everything up nicely, no loose ends, everyone present and accounted for. But I hated it. Every word. I've written four novels. The first was a blind and blundering effort that I often wish would just go away, (or I could get off my ass and do a rewrite) but I think the other three are pretty good. All four of them told me where to finish up. With Return Addresses I just ignored what the story was telling me and I kept writing. In the end it was right all along.

JDK: I really liked the character of Jose. It reminds me, yet again, about the fact that those of us who have the least give the most. He was something good after something bad, which in a sense balanced the book. There are terrible people, but there are also damn fine people as well. Did you feel like you needed to throw the reader one of those inflated tube rings?

MAM: I can't add much to what you just said except that I wish there were a lot more Jose's in the world.

JDK: You went from writing a gritty western to a coming of age story, so what is next from Michael A. McLellan? A southern Gothic romance, dinosaurs on the moon, or maybe a spy thriller, or a hunchback of Napa Valley story?

MAM: I like the hunchback idea, after all, I am from the Napa Valley, originally. I have two works in progress, and as of today I'm unsure of which will take over and be finished first. One is a follow-up to In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree, the other involves human contact with extraterrestrial life. No spoilers from me:)

Thanks a lot, Jeffrey. Always a pleasure.

If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten and an Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/jeffreykeeten/

[Tara Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was well worth waiting for; an emotional heartbreaking story entirely unpredictable. Astounding realism filled with vivid real life characters not soon forgotten. Accurate to the degree that it could be considered non-fiction. I really enjoyed this and could hardly put it aside. The ending was most appropriate and, like I said, unpredictable.

[Michael McLellan]

**Update** 4-27-20
I've finally received paperbacks!! Preorders and review copies will be going out starting tomorrow so watch your mailbox. Thanks everyone and best wishes.

4-11-20
Due mainly to Covid 19's far reaching influence, Return Addresses' June 1st release date has been scrapped and the book is now available. See links below.
Preorders and review copies will be shipping over the next two weeks. Thank you everyone. Stay safe out there. I sincerely appreciate the support I've received from this great community.

Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086QBN46K

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Return-Address...

[Sarah Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return Addresses is Michael McLellan's fourth book and his second work focusing on contemporary themes. The plot involves the physical and emotional abuse of Sean Pennington, a teenager who loses his father and finds himself tied up in the California social welfare system. A cautionary tale to parents of teens: in the event that your child is left parentless, if you do not designate a legal guardian for your child and have a proper will, you may well be leaving them in a situation like Sean's.

The social welfare system shows no mercy for Sean Pennington after he is orphaned. His journey begins when he realizes he is being consumed by a system that has no real interest in him. As Sean makes his way in the world, he discovers that friends are the ones that provide immediate needs but may not be guided by any recognizable moral compass.

McLellan holds nothing back and he is a master at details both horrendous and non-gratuitous. There is violence here and you have been warned. One may wish to turn away but McLellan draws you back with a steady pace and jump-off-the-page characters.

If you're looking for a Dickensian treatment of the harsh world in which many of our teenagers live, where a bit of humor and a wry smile will get you out of most fixes... you won't find much of that here. Among the possible Micawbers or Magwitchs in Return Addresses , either they are so disenfranchised themselves or far down a road of substance abuse that you will ask yourself if anybody can provide salvation for Sean.

I've been following Michael's writing for years and he continues to astound me with his range and talent. Whatever he has in store for readers next, it is bound to be worth waiting for.

[Kaili (Owl Book World) · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I was actually pretty excited to read this book. It really captures the readers and never leaves them bored. However I do wish there was a trigger warning about this book so I could've been better prepared for what happened. It was really disturbing and made me pretty angry. But I'm so happy with how the book ended and it ended up being an ending I wasn't expecting.

[Anthony Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bittersweet, like finishing off a superb bottle of your favorite drink. Sweet as one enjoys a drink from the first sip to the last swallow, and bitter as in the bottle is empty in the end."

Micheal McLellan has done it again. Return address has something for everyone. Although a bit dark at times, I found the valleys in Sean’s life had to be realized to genuinely appreciate the peaks. I hate spoilers, so I will refrain from speaking specifically about the twists and turns of this epic tale. I found the writing flowed well leaving little for the reader to fill in as the story unfolds. Perhaps even this author best work. I am conflicted as I enjoyed “In the shadow of the hanging tree” so much that I reread it three times. As with most great story tellers, I recognized the similarities in McLellan’s books despite them bridging so many genres. I had many smiles as I read about the places I recognized and noted the books revealed in this story. What some Authors call Easter eggs, I noted cleverly planted names, places, and objects throughout this tale that I suspect McLellan left to both amuse his readers as well as entertain and acknowledge other writers. This book introduces a 14-year-old boy named Sean who is faced with more challenges than most adults well ever experience in a lifetime. The journey Sean embarks on is remarkable and the people he meets along the way believable. Although, I would recommend this one to a mature audience, nothing struck me as crossing the line. Well done sir!

[Christine Bialczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Return Addresses” by Michael McLellan is a fast-past, highly engaging read with many unexpected twists and turn giving a true depiction of life on the street for an orphaned young teen. . I couldn't put the book down!

The constantly moving plot revolves around a fourteen-year-old boy who loses just about everything he’s ever known. The author has depicted a true-to-life plot which moves swiftly, giving quick, deep glimpses into some of the worst scenarios a kid who has become an orphan can face. Each chapter is engaging, and the main character is constantly thrown into new situations. The author doesn’t drag anything out too far, so you never get bored with the read. All the characters are completely believable, as are the events in the story. Upon reading this I thought it was perhaps a Young Adult novel, but there is some adult content that parents may not want younger children to read. The idea of what Sean goes through is a good lesson for kids who “think” they have it bad.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. There were no spoilers and each event had a satisfying beginning and end. I recommend this book, especially to parents of teens who are going through the typical turbulent teenage years. Some good life lessons are depicted throughout the story.

[Tricia V · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’d better believe that this story is able to pull you into its clutches. McLellan does a fantastic job at introducing the world and its character from the very first word. While I can’t even imagine what Sean goes through in this story, I certainly empathize with his situation. I’m lucky to have had two loving parents while growing up – and continue to – so I can’t even imagine how hard that’s got to be.

Sean goes through a lot once his father’s dead, things he never expected to deal with. For someone who’s only fourteen, Sean showed a lot of guts and determination. He might not have been dealt the best hand, but he played it to the best of his ability.

[Rajiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

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I am speechless. I don’t think I have read any novel so sad, raw, beautiful and disturbing in one go. This is probably one of the most memorable and haunting books I have read this year.

Sean is character whom I don’t think I will ever forget in the near future. My heart just went out to him in the story. I’ll be honest. I grew up in a sheltered environment with loving parents, and looking back, don’t have any scarring memories from my childhood. So, I could only imagine what would have happened a tragedy like this occurred when I was a teenager. I don’t think I would have had the strength to go on the ‘adventure’ that Sean did. He experiences many things over the course of his trip, some good, some sad, and some that are horrible and unimaginable. Yet, he is persistent and has a goal to reach Montana, and tries his best to get there. This book made me feel a variety of emotions, but in the end, it made me humble and stronger to face any challenges and be thankful.

Furthermore, I loved the author’s style of writing! In Return Addresses, he paced the story well and has written it in a very simple and direct manner. Moreover, the book tackles a very important subject on the seriousness of being homeless. The number of cases of homeless people are increasing exponentially in the globe. However, we don’t see many contemporary books out there that depict how serious the situation is. I appreciate the author for handling this subject matter in a gripping manner.

Overall, Return Addresses is one of those books that you have to just read to experience its beauty, as words cannot convey the impact it has.

[Debbie Mclellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished I really liked it! Cant wait to see what Michael has for us next keep 'em coming!

[Casady Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from McLellan! It's hard to talk about this book without giving anything away because one of it's greatest strengths is it's lack of predictability. I found myself immediately attached to the main character, which in spots made for a rough read, because as usual, the author puts our main players through Hell. That is to say, that this isn't the type of book to read with your Sunday tea. Perhaps unless you're as twisted as the author himself. : )

This one grips you from the beginning and keeps you turning the page to see what could possibly happen next. Gritty, suspenseful and entertaining. I look forward to the next one.

Cheers