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Blind Spot
Doug Kaplan seemed to be doing about as well as one could hope. He had a beautiful and loving wife, three healthy boys, and a successful career. He also had a neighbor who seemed to exist for the very purpose of driving him crazy. Trudy Fleischmann was a force of nature, a presence to be reckoned with for sure. She didn't mean any harm, but if she had a thought, or an opinion, she was going to share it with whomever happened to be in her crosshairs, and lately that had been Doug.The problem was, nobody else seemed to mind Trudy, and this made Doug even crazier. With peaceful coexistence seemingly beginning to fail, it appeared as if an ugly conflict between Doug and his elderly German immigrant neighbor was going to be unavoidable, until the accident, the accident that changed everything.Now, in the aftermath of a moment of carelessness, everything Doug holds near and dear is at risk of being taken from him, and now the one individual whom he wished to see purged most of all from his life may hold the key to any chance of normalcy and happiness going forward in his life.
689 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2021
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 1, 2023
Book Review
Blind Spot
A Novel Written By Robert Hoffman
Fiction
Published 2021
682 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don’t let the number of pages in this book deter you from reading it. The story flows smoothly. This is a character driven novel about two flawed characters. Doug Kaplan is living the dream. He is happily married with three young sons and a sales job in radio. Life is great until he and his wife, Kelly, buy their dream house on Long Island. The problem with their new house isn’t the repairs and improvements they need to make. The problem is their next door neighbor, Trudy Fleischmann. Trudy is a nosy woman who knows it all. Think of Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched. Trudy strikes a nerve with Doug that he can’t let go. That is until the “incident”.
The author’s wit and sense of humor jump off the pages as you read. There were many LOL moments for me as I read. There is humor in this book and also much soul searching for the main character, Doug.
“Guilt does not disappear as quickly as it arrives, and all the positive thinking in the world doesn’t erase it.”
Blind Spot
A Novel Written By Robert Hoffman
Fiction
Published 2021
682 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don’t let the number of pages in this book deter you from reading it. The story flows smoothly. This is a character driven novel about two flawed characters. Doug Kaplan is living the dream. He is happily married with three young sons and a sales job in radio. Life is great until he and his wife, Kelly, buy their dream house on Long Island. The problem with their new house isn’t the repairs and improvements they need to make. The problem is their next door neighbor, Trudy Fleischmann. Trudy is a nosy woman who knows it all. Think of Gladys Kravitz from Bewitched. Trudy strikes a nerve with Doug that he can’t let go. That is until the “incident”.
The author’s wit and sense of humor jump off the pages as you read. There were many LOL moments for me as I read. There is humor in this book and also much soul searching for the main character, Doug.
“Guilt does not disappear as quickly as it arrives, and all the positive thinking in the world doesn’t erase it.”
August 14, 2021
My friend and colleague Rob Hoffman has published his first novel, Blind Spot, which is available on Amazon. Blind Spot is the story of Doug Kaplan, his journey to a slice of heaven in suburbia, and a chance accident that causes him to reevaluate who he is as a person. Those who know Rob will recognize his trademark humor, and I think all readers will enjoy reading Doug’s story and even see some of themselves in Doug.
March 5, 2024
Blind Spot by Robert Hoffman is a very long book, over 650 pages, and can seem intimidating but do not let that deter you from picking it up. You will thoroughly enjoy the entire story !!
Blind Spot focuses on two neighbors, Doug Kaplan and Trudy Fleischman. Doug, his wife Kelly and their three sons live next door to Trudy and her husband Burt. Trudy can be a very annoying neighbor which Kelly can handle, unfortunately Doug has a harder time dealing with Trudy. When Burt dies the Kaplan's step in to help Trudy even though Doug resists.
One day Doug runs to the supermarket to get dessert for the family after spending a great day together. While in the store he sees Trudy and rushes out of the store so that she doesn't ruin his good mood. Unfortunately Trudy leaves the store shortly after Doug and Doug does not see her behind the car and ends up backing up and hitting her. Due to Doug's actions Trudy will be laid up for weeks. Doug feeling guilty for his actions starts spending a lot of time with Trudy taking care of her .... and they develop a friendship.
In Blind Spot the story starts off with the accident and then it devotes the middle of the story with Hoffman allowing readers to get to know Trudy and Doug from their younger days until the accident. You are provided detailed backstories to Trudy and Doug and how they were raised. Then the story returns to the aftermath of the accident and how Doug deals with his guilt over hitting Trudy and how they become friends as well as neighbors.
Readers cannot help but LOVE this story !! You will love the characters and getting to know them throughout the story ... and the ENDING will blow you away !!! It sure was a shock to me !!
Blind Spot focuses on two neighbors, Doug Kaplan and Trudy Fleischman. Doug, his wife Kelly and their three sons live next door to Trudy and her husband Burt. Trudy can be a very annoying neighbor which Kelly can handle, unfortunately Doug has a harder time dealing with Trudy. When Burt dies the Kaplan's step in to help Trudy even though Doug resists.
One day Doug runs to the supermarket to get dessert for the family after spending a great day together. While in the store he sees Trudy and rushes out of the store so that she doesn't ruin his good mood. Unfortunately Trudy leaves the store shortly after Doug and Doug does not see her behind the car and ends up backing up and hitting her. Due to Doug's actions Trudy will be laid up for weeks. Doug feeling guilty for his actions starts spending a lot of time with Trudy taking care of her .... and they develop a friendship.
In Blind Spot the story starts off with the accident and then it devotes the middle of the story with Hoffman allowing readers to get to know Trudy and Doug from their younger days until the accident. You are provided detailed backstories to Trudy and Doug and how they were raised. Then the story returns to the aftermath of the accident and how Doug deals with his guilt over hitting Trudy and how they become friends as well as neighbors.
Readers cannot help but LOVE this story !! You will love the characters and getting to know them throughout the story ... and the ENDING will blow you away !!! It sure was a shock to me !!
December 11, 2021
The Review
This was such an intriguing and intimate character-driven narrative. The author really found the perfect balance between humorous dialogue and character interactions and personal drama amongst the large cast of characters. The story felt so real and connected to our very tumultuous times right now, exploring how we often clash with those around us. The character growth and relationships explored in this narrative were so relatable and engaging, allowing readers to see the backstory to these characters and the narrative overall felt like such a rich and fulfilled journey to readers overall.
What really struck me with this narrative was the theme and atmosphere of this story overall. The concept that we as people rarely if ever are able to see the flaws or mistakes we make in our own lives, and are always quick to point out other people’s flaws instead was such a relatable theme to the age we are living in now. To me, what stuck out was how the story seemed to explore how we often criticize others who seem to reflect our flaws that our subconscious buries deep within ourselves, and take our internal frustrations out on those around us.
The Verdict
A memorable, heartfelt, and detailed yet entertaining read, author Robert Hoffman’s “Blind Spot” is a must-read, character-driven humorous drama. The immersive way the author transports readers into the narrative and makes the characters feel so alive and gripping to behold will keep you enthralled as the story unravels, and the emotional yet heartwarming ending will be a moment of true clarity and hilarity to readers as the pages come to an end.
This was such an intriguing and intimate character-driven narrative. The author really found the perfect balance between humorous dialogue and character interactions and personal drama amongst the large cast of characters. The story felt so real and connected to our very tumultuous times right now, exploring how we often clash with those around us. The character growth and relationships explored in this narrative were so relatable and engaging, allowing readers to see the backstory to these characters and the narrative overall felt like such a rich and fulfilled journey to readers overall.
What really struck me with this narrative was the theme and atmosphere of this story overall. The concept that we as people rarely if ever are able to see the flaws or mistakes we make in our own lives, and are always quick to point out other people’s flaws instead was such a relatable theme to the age we are living in now. To me, what stuck out was how the story seemed to explore how we often criticize others who seem to reflect our flaws that our subconscious buries deep within ourselves, and take our internal frustrations out on those around us.
The Verdict
A memorable, heartfelt, and detailed yet entertaining read, author Robert Hoffman’s “Blind Spot” is a must-read, character-driven humorous drama. The immersive way the author transports readers into the narrative and makes the characters feel so alive and gripping to behold will keep you enthralled as the story unravels, and the emotional yet heartwarming ending will be a moment of true clarity and hilarity to readers as the pages come to an end.
December 8, 2021
I absolutely enjoyed reading "Blind Spot" by Robert Hoffman. The character of Doug was interesting as there were many things I didn't want to like about him, but yet overall I found myself enjoying his persona. I guess I could take that further and say there are parts of myself I could see in him - not necessarily my favorite parts, but nonetheless...even the most lovely humans can be a bit selfish and self absorbed from time to time. The relationship between Doug and Trudy is unique and I appreciate the back story and build up. There were many times I laughed out loud while readying "Blind Spot" while wondering how much of the book really was based on the author's real life. Something I appreciate greatly when it comes to books is what I can take from them to apply to my life and I find myself wondering what's been in my blind spot my whole life! Definitely gets the reader thinking and reflecting! Well done Robert Hoffman!
December 15, 2021
Do you ever wonder why some people are placed in your life? How often do we wish that we could so quickly avoid some of those people? Robert Hoffman tells us what may happen when we try to run, in his hilarious book titled "Blind Spot." Robert does an amazing job sucking you into this book on the first chapter!
I relate so well to Trudy in some ways. One conversation that got me hooked on the character was about her caregiving ways. "Sure it feels thankless sometimes, but helping is its own reward." The quote goes on to say, "It also meant that people would need her, and being needed was like a drug that Trudy would never really beable to do without." Robert Hoffman hits the nail on the head right there.
I encourage everyone to read this 5 star book, and learn about what happens when loathing turns into forgiveness and friendship. Are those people we tend to run from, there to teach us something?
I relate so well to Trudy in some ways. One conversation that got me hooked on the character was about her caregiving ways. "Sure it feels thankless sometimes, but helping is its own reward." The quote goes on to say, "It also meant that people would need her, and being needed was like a drug that Trudy would never really beable to do without." Robert Hoffman hits the nail on the head right there.
I encourage everyone to read this 5 star book, and learn about what happens when loathing turns into forgiveness and friendship. Are those people we tend to run from, there to teach us something?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews