The Blind Affect

by Michael Poeltl

"... there is a fantastic twist in the story... the three characters’ stories come together in the most serendipitous way." - REEDSY REVIEW - Susie Helme

Diversity, inclusion, and equality are at the heart of this character-driven story. While difficult and heart-breaking lessons await Jonah, Severn, and Darnell in their own lives, a shared event along a similar timeline links all three despite their glaring differences. Caught in the gravity of the event, purpose presents itself and their shared blind affect validates the notion that no life is wasted.

The Blind Affect alternates between characters’ perspectives as they face life’s obstacles along their journeys, leading to an inescapable conclusion that will offer an answer to one of the most poignant questions a person can ask.

In 1960 Jonah entered the world on his stillborn twin brother’s heels, setting him up for a lifetime of disappointment. With an addictive personality and deep-seated sadness, his mother struggles to manage her addictions while raising Jonah with an increasingly absent husband.

In 1975 Severn was abducted into a life her thirteen-year-old self couldn’t comprehend. She soon learns the unthinkable truth, experiencing first hand the hellish descent into the bowels of the sex trade. Severn’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot imagine an escape.

In 1994 Darnell slipped free of his abusive father when an extraordinary opportunity revealed itself. Time and maturity show Darnell to be a kind-hearted individual drawn to the needs of the oppressed. He has a mysterious benefactor to thank for his successes, and upon first glance, repairing Darnell’s relation to Severn’s traumatic youth seems insurmountable. Still, to become a complete person, it is a step he knows he must take.

Are three people living in the same city along similar timelines destined to meet? When one event affects each person’s life in a meaningful way, does the universe conspire to bring them together or tear them apart?

Lives are lived and lost ubiquitously; it’s what you do with them that counts. Can life be more than the sum of one’s own experiences? Do we have to look objectively through others’ eyes to understand our influence on the world around us?

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2021

About the author

Do you listen for the things that stir in the dark? Do you dream of time unspooled, of minds that touch across distance, of lives once lived and still remembered? Then you are kin to my kind. Somewhere in my backlist, a story waits—one that knows your name.

Why read my books? If you're like me and read across multiple genres but appreciate a story that draws you into the narrative, the characters, and the emotions, then take a look at my library, find the genre that best suits your mood, and pick it up on Amazon or Kobo for a song. Then, should you want more, my back library will serve you well.

By the end of 2025, I’ll have published 16 books, spanning various genres, including two trilogies, a series, and numerous standalone titles. It has been my absolute joy to revel in those childhood freedoms where you can do anything and be anyone (with the proper training and discipline). It has also been fun getting to know my audience when readers approach me (or I them), and we have meaningful conversations about books in general. I'm a big reader, too, and I'd love to hear what others are reading to help me fill out my 'to be read' pile. So don't be a stranger!

The Haunting of Grosvenor House, 2025: Loosely based on a true story. It is the haunting exploration of loss, connection, and the thin line between the living and the dead—where silence may be the most dangerous sound of all.

Cleo McCarthy Time Travel and Other Impossible Things, 2023: The first time Cleo feared for her life was when she was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at 23.
The second time is when she discovered she could travel back in time at 24.

Cleo Reviews:
FIVE STARS "I don’t want to spoil anything but trust me. It will give you laughs and will make you think and feel. I am going to buy my paperback copy because having it on my Kindle is not enough." Shirtny from Goodreads
FIVE STARS: "This story did not disappoint, introducing an approach to time travel I'd not seen before, an approach the principal character strives to learn about and understand as the story progresses." Tom from Goodreads
FIVE STARS: "The pacing of the novel is skillfully executed, with a balance between heart-pounding moments and introspective reflection. The gradual revelation of the fragmented message and the subsequent race against time add a layer of suspense that keeps readers eagerly turning pages." Rose from Goodreads

Killing Karma Reviews:
FIVE STARS "Loved it! Was immersed from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to see how it would play out." Rita from Goodreads
FIVE STARS "From the opening paragraph to the last sentence, I was captivated; at times, I found myself holding my breath…" David from Goodreads
FOUR STARS "A highly gripping tale that builds a believable world full of unexpected twists and turns." Madame from Goodreads
FOUR STARS "Such an interesting and fresh take on serial killers... absolutely loved the way the author intertwined the whole concept of past lives into the main plot. Every detail really added more to the story." Chanelle from Goodreads

The Blind Affect launched on June 22nd, 2021 to some great advanced reviews:
FIVE STARS “... a sometimes disturbing but always profound look at three characters whose lives take haunting courses... 'The Blind Affect' will leave you with a lot to think about.”
FOUR STARS “[Poeltl] doesn’t tell us, he shows us the lives of these characters. He shows readers what trauma looks like and what is healing. It’s a timely story...”

Other book reviews:
"A well-built fantasy world with likable characters." - A.I. Insurrection - The General's War - Goodreads
"The characters are 3-dimensional and realistic, with believable flaws, motivations and goals, doubts and beliefs.." - A.I. Insurrection - The General's War - Goodreads
"A great read for anyone who enjoys extensively built worlds." - A.I. Insurrection - The General's War - Goodreads
"The immense interest provided by the world, technology,

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a hard to read book that covers a lot of hard to read topics, but this book was so good and well written. The beginning to me was hard to get into, and the characters in this book was the time that takes time to love. I loved that this book shows you how much you can change someone's else life without knowing you did. This is one of those book that really makes you stop and think about life. The ending was sweet and quick. I won a kindle edition of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, but this review is my feelings about the book.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

Over all this was a good book. While the characters had tragic stories, they were well written and I cared about them and wanted them to overcome their obstacles.

My main criticism of the book is that I wanted a bigger reveal at the end. The blind affect that is revealed is significant, but I wanted there to be more unknown interactions between the characters, like a network of blind affects. While reading the book it seemed like the character’s lives had more overlaps than the only one that is revealed at the end. A few examples of other overlaps that I felt could have been used as blind affects are that the two main characters share the same therapist and that Jonah’s Dad was having an affair with Severn’s Mom. Additionally, it seemed like the car crash and Mort’s story line could have been tied to an overall network of blind affects.

While reading the book I kept thinking about the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. At the end of the movie George Bailey learns of all the impacts he has made on other people’s lives despite the struggles of his own. Here Jonah’s impact is boiled down to one interaction and the reveal at the end isn’t very surprising. I feel like one more chapter could have added this greater impact I was looking for. It would have been interesting if Darnell and Severn had held a funeral for Jonah and there was a large turnout. They could hear the stories of how Jonah had affected other lives and we could have seen a bigger picture of his life that wasn’t revealed throughout the book from Jonah’s perspective.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Blind Affect' is not a light summer read. It's a sometimes disturbing but always profound look at three characters whose lives take haunting courses, often beyond their control. I was especially touched by how Jonah's relationship with his mother shaped his future.

If you balk at unpleasant truths, this latest novel by Michael Poeltl is not for you. On the other hand, if you're willing to face these scenarios head on, 'The Blind Affect' will leave you with a lot to think about.

[Nadine Younger · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have a reason

So many sad lives. So much hurt and pain and abuse...
At times I wondered, "why do I keep reading, these people's lives are so depressing", but I couldn't stop.
Jonah endured so much and couldn't catch a break - and then tried to self destruct through addiction. Severn lived through such horrors - but she survived.
This was a hard book to get through; but impossible to put down.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

This was a fascinating book. I was very surprised at how the three lives interacted at the end. I loved the way the author used popular songs to set the mood and the time frame.

[BookStruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading some of the reviews for this book, I've been hesitant because of the subject matter in this, one of my favorite author's books, but, because he is a favorite, I'm going to read it. Also, the reviews are all good, even if the subject matter is difficult.
Child abuse, human trafficking, substance abuse, mental health issues. Wish me luck!

UPDATE: Well, that. Was. Intense. What a story. Stories, actually. This book is about three people going about their day-to-day lives with varying degrees of trauma only to find one another and (hopefully) heal. Is it ever too late to heal? So much pain, and yet I closed the book feeling lighter. It's one of those novels that will stay with me because of the lessons learned and the images it conjured.
A soild five stars from me. Want to read something worth reading? This is that book.

[Susie Helme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonah, 61, his health failing, looks back on his life. Severn, in therapy, tries to remember those missing years. Both children’s mothers drink, and shirk responsibilities to do so. Fortunately, they both have best friends--Jonah has Morty and Severn has Maribel—and these friendships help them through the hardship.
Always too alone, Jonah had survived birth; his twin brother had not, and his mother is determined never to let him do anything dangerous—or even, really, anything. Finally at 13 Jonah has a friend, another loner, Morty. Jonah tries out for basketball, but the other boys make fun of his body odour, call him ‘Stinky’ and in the locker room shove him into the shower. The doctor says he has Bromhidrosis. In high school, he smokes, drinks and snorts, and he’s been getting into trouble. He’s in and out of rehab.
Jonah is challenged by his therapist to go the cinema, but once there, he witnesses a crazed shooting. He goes on probably the most awkward first date I’ve ever read about, but the girl, June, an exotic dancer, likes him, anyway, and they settle down to a happy life. Right in the midst of Jonah’s happiness, a series of tragedies send Jonah back to his addictions.
Severn is abducted by sex traffickers and locked in a basement. By 15 she’s pregnant by one of the paedophile johns, and suffers a forced abortion. The girls and boys there are given new names, but they etch their real ones into the cement block in the corner, proof that they existed. They rehearse a legend of a girl who once got out. Severn, herself, remains captive for 15 years.
At 31, Severn is expected to manage the others. One day, there’s some kind of incident happening upstairs, and her master, Dominus, wants her to kill them. She refuses, and violence ensues. And so, even her rescue is traumatic. Severn, also, triumphs over her trauma, going to school and qualifying as a social worker, though she has nightmares and still can’t—doesn’t want to-- remember the missing years.
Answering his emails, Darnell plans his talk at an upcoming event about his experience growing up in an abusive home. He’s received an email from Severn, whom his charity had helped, wanting to meet him. Here, there is a fantastic twist in the story (no spoilers) as we suddenly understand Darnells’ role in all this.
In the end, the three characters’ stories come together in the most serendipitous way, and Jonah discovers that, far from living a useless life as he had thought, his actions have had a ‘blind affect’ on many people.
Reading about a person with an unusually bad body odour is a first, and I found that interesting, because I know someone like that.
I found a few mistakes in the editing, but the writing is good. I really hope no reader experiences either the abuse, or the parental neglect that so often turns a blind eye to abuse, like the characters in this book. But for anyone with this kind of experience, it might prove educative or cathartic. The tale of these folks’ woes is told with heart and, amazingly, without self-pity. Jonah is a bit of a whinge, but who could blame him? It’s certainly heartening later in the tale when the characters start finding some happiness in their lives. This book should be a lesson to anyone contemplating suicide that, not only can they survive, but their lives can make a difference to others, sometimes without their even trying. There is always purpose.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Poeltl has gotten into his stride in his latest novel, The Blind Affect. This is a story that grabs the reader from the beginning and holds on to the very end. Poeltl does what a good writer does - he doesn’t tell us, he shows us the lives of these characters. He shows readers what trauma looks like and what is healing. It’s a timely story and one that’s important for humanity, for aren’t we all carrying around our own ‘baggage’. One question may nag at readers long after finishing the novel - what blind affects am I experiencing or causing?