Ein Mann mit vielen Talenten

by Castle Freeman Jr., Dirk van Gunsteren (Translator)

Taft, ein dem Alkohol zugeneigter Eigenbrötler, steckt in einer Sinnkrise. Da kommt der schneidige Fremde namens Dangerfield gerade recht, der ihm auf der Veranda ein verführerisches Angebot macht: Taft hat sechs Monate Zeit, alles zu bekommen, was er jemals wollte – zu einem hohen Preis. Mit der Gewissheit, nichts zu verlieren zu haben, lässt sich Taft auf den Pakt ein und versucht auf seine Art, das teuflische Spiel zu unterlaufen. Doch der Stichtag rückt näher, und Dangerfield denkt nicht daran, von seiner Forderung abzurücken. Freeman besticht durch lakonische Dialoge und tiefe Kenntnis der menschlichen Psyche und „sorgt einfach nur – sehr, sehr komisch – für gute Laune“ (Deutschlandfunk).

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Novels, Roman, Dark, Contemporary

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

Castle Freeman Jr. is an American novelist and writer who lives in Vermont.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this writer, Castle Freeman Jr., and his previous two books, especially Go With Me, are gems to me. Check it out: Go With Me. A book with a hint of Cormac McCarthy, maybe a bit of Annie Proulx too. Very happy to see this new Freeman book published in the autumn of 2015. Ordered it as soon as possible.
This book again did not disappoint me, though quite different from the previous books. Environment is the same: Vermont. A Faustian story, about an ordinary man making a deal with the devil. The back cover says: If the devil is in the details, then the devil has met his match. A man called Taft sits in his quiet Vermont home, dispirited ex-teacher, ex-abstainer, alone, except for a bottle of Sir Walter's scotch, and wonders what is missing in his life. A voice startles him from the rocking chair, where a stranger has appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He's well dressed, smooth-talking, proves to be a devilishly charming drinking partner and he offer's Taft a chance to have anything he's ever wanted - for a price. A beguiling tale on temptation and greed, set in Freeman's classic setting of a dark, moody, rural Vermont. Taft's wishes come true... and it is not his own interest, but the interest of others that he aims for. He decides to help out people who have, say, issues to deal with. Until the date comes nearer where the deal is closed.... Another interesting role is that of Calpurnia, a very old woman in a resting home, who seems to be more involved than we all know....
An out of the box story on evil, goodness, morale, with a sort of surprising ending. Easy to read, amusing, entertaining, minimalistic writing with a very sharp writer's pen, not a word too much. To the point and poetic at the same time.
Very enjoyable read. 4.5 stars. Maybe I will add more comment later, this is the first quick draft.
I am a fan of this writer and just ordered one of his earlier books. Check him out!

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because it’s fun to be a dick sometimes, I’ll share the story of how I got this book.

Overlook scheduled to give this out on the last day of BEA. At one point I went over to the booth and asked the girl working there (I call her a girl only because she looked exactly like a teenage girl that used to take Muay Thai with me, but I’m sure she was older than 17 and I could probably use a better term than girl) when the Castle Freeman book was being given out. She wasn’t sure. She was sure that he was one of their authors, but she didn’t think they were giving away the book.

A few minutes later I happened to walk past the booth and saw a small pile of the book, so I grabbed one and went to find Karen so she could get one, too (I don't know why I didn't just get one for her at the time). The girl wasn’t at the booth when I got the book, but a few minutes later she was back. A part of me wanted to be the asshole in a store (any store, I wouldn’t be thinking of any one store in particular) who when you are wrong about something they go out of their way to track you down and then wave the item in your face and let you know how you were mistaken. (I mean in the face of the person working in the hypothetical any store in any town in any country, not you as in me because I and no one I work with make mistakes because we are all well-trained superstars, and our customers are beacons of perfection shining goodness like sunlight from their very being and would never do something like this, but other companies...).

I don’t think I ever would have gone and shown her that they had the book, but the thought passed through my head. I can congratulate myself about how much of a non-dick I was in that suppressing those thoughts, but I still had them. I actually have a lot of thoughts about petty retribution and vengeance.

What does this have to do with the book though (ready to see this come together? Thank you liberal arts education for teaching me to tie in anything I want with whatever I’m writing about), well the book is a sort of grit lit retelling of the Faust story. (ok, you don’t see it coming together, it will though, just watch!)

In case you don’t know the Faust story is the devil (or one of his minions, the big boss is probably busy with other things than to make an appearance himself) offers to give a person anything they want in exchange for signing away their soul. In other words, they get what they want for a certain amount of time, and then they go and spend eternity in H E double hockey sticks).

Think about this for a moment (bossy, right? Or don’t, it’s up to you), what would you do if a representative from the devil showed up and was offering you full use of their supernatural powers, which will basically get you whatever you little heart desires, what would you do?

The first thing that I thought of (and this isn’t in the book) is that some representative of pure evil shows up it’s going to blow your world view out the window. Maybe not if you are a spiritual warfare type (you spend your spare time learning how to prune your family tree of malignant persons who have brought evil into your families life, and you work on playing your kid's popular music mp3 iTunes backwards to see if those heathens in the music industry are passing along messages (do people still do this? How do you do this without a record player anymore? I’m sure there is a website that will tell me how to check to see if that Taylor Swift song they play in the supermarket and gym is the work of the Dark Lord, or not (I’m guessing that it is because there is no other reason it would get stuck in my head so easily without some black magic going on))). Obviously, if you’re an Atheist, this would throw a wrinkle into everything you’ve thought. Probably, even if you are a regular church goer, the causal religious person (yes I’m making up huge stereotypes), you would have the thought, holy shit this stuff is real?

Deep philosophical questions aside, physical evidence that hell is real and you have the chance to spend eternity there in exchange for having whatever you want in the here and now I think would make you wonder: "Am I going to go to hell anyway?"

Now that Hell and the Devil are real, which brand of salvation do I have to ascribe by to not wind up there?

(Let’s assume the devil person lets you know that only one of them are correct (oh but the devil is the prince of lies so how can you believe him? (you know he’s telling the truth here, he has a Jesus Approved Divine Lie Detector with him, and you know those things are total accurate)), but he won’t tell you which one is correct. Chances are you’ll have picked wrong; it’s just odds and math here. It’s like a more choice laden version of Pascal’s Wager. If there are four choices (for example) and you pick one, you have a 25% chance of being right. Or in other words, most of the time you will be wrong. You'd have better odds at beating the roulette wheel playing colors than you would getting to heaven in this scenario.)

Ok, so odds are you are going to hell, you might win and have made the right choice, but you more likely won't.

Does this change the decision you’ll make?

Of course there is never a Faust story (ok maybe there is, but it would be a boring story (Sorry, Jesus!!! I just remembered you basically have the Faust story thing when you’re out in the desert and all that)) where the protagonist is like, Thanks but no Thanks. Maybe there are temptation stories (see how I got that to save the Jesus story in the end?) but those aren’t Faust stories. But what would your initial decision be? (this whole paragraph was almost more unnecessary than all the preceding unnecessary paragraphs were.)

And what if the terms of the contract you’re going to sign weren’t for years of living it up anyway you see fit, but say six months or less of getting what you want in exchange for time-share in the worst vacation spot ever? (and does it matter that statistically you’ll be ending up there anyway? Does it matter if you have gotten everything you wanted or just continue to live your life the way it’s been going until now? (and, of course, there is the idea to take into account that when the terms are up you die right away and go straight to hell, now how bad is hell? Is it less bad than having a painful terminal disease? In that case, you are guaranteeing yourself an easy death, plus stuff you want in exchange for your soul. So many questions!!)

Will I ever stop with this rambling and get moving with the review?

Ok, last question, lets say you made the mental calculations and decided that it would be a good deal to get what you want for say 5 months and in exchange you die and go straight to hell—forever.

What do you choose to do?

Do you act on any and all impulses, be a royal dick when you want to be, be selfish, greedy—amass as much crap as possible in your short period of time, go on an excessive spree of debrauchery?

What would you choose to do or to have that would be worth a known eternity of some degree of pain and suffering?

To me that is what this book is about. What are the choices you would make if you were in this arrangement with an agent of Satan.

And it is a weird spin on the traditional story of Faust.

It’s set in rural Vermont (there is pretty much an oxymoron… I could have just said it’s not set in Burlington, Vermont). The minion of hell comes to visit Taft, a reclusive lush, and offers him all the powers imaingable for a short period of time in exchange for Taft’s soul.

Taft agrees, and the story is what Taft chooses to do with all the power at his disposal. (Why are all the character surnames the names of presidents? Is there something going on here that I missed or is it just something Freeman thought of doing?)

I called it a grit-lit version of Faust above, and that might be a lie. I think of Castle Freeman Jr as a grit-lit writer, but except for the setting there isn't much grit-lit (rural gothic? No idea!). There isn't one mention of crystal meth or crank anywhere in the book, and I’m pretty sure there is no gratuitous violence woven into the story. Karen will probably tell me I’m making a muck of what grit-lit is and that this is or isn’t for smarter reasons than I’m giving. (Now I’ve given away part of the plot, Taft doesn’t decide to ask the devil for a pile of crank the size of a double-wide trailer and 24/7 gum jobs from the 25 year old toothless washed up neighbor who looks 65 and is already a grandmother, that’s not one the things he asks for.)

Did I mention above that I haven’t read his author before? (I didn't, this could have been figured out simply when I first wrote the sentence, and no, I won't just cut the stupid line). I thought I had (read him, not mentioned it), but according to Goodreads I haven’t, and honestly if it doesn’t say I read something on Goodreads it’s just about as good as me not having read it, even if I did, because my memory is shit (I keep getting these emails saying that someone voted for various reviews I’ve written, and I’ll look at the email and think, what is this book? I read this book? I wrote a review for it? And then I’ll go look and wow, yep, I read it. Huzzah for virtual memory!!) So if I did or didn’t read him Goodreads says no, so I’ll believe them.

What I mean to say is that I don’t know how this compares to his other books. I liked this book quite a bit, it was a good short read, but I don’t know how it will compare to his other books. Will there be a disappointment? Will it be stylistically different? Oh, so many questions and things to keep me up dwelling upon tonight!

Anyway, that is my review (yes you can feel chafed for reading all of this to basically here me say, I liked it because that is pretty much all I said about the book in 1750 words, yeah I liked it but it might be different from his other books). Thanks for humoring me if you read this far, and remember if you have something mean to say and want to be a dick it’s pretty much the same things as selling your soul to Satan and there are no good earthly rewards for being a troll. That’s sort of the call back for the opening story, that or if you could do anything you wanted would you be an asshole or would you be a good person?

Now this whole review is wrapped up like a neat little package!

You are welcome for this gift!

[Letterrausch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist wirklich schwer einzuordnen. Definitiv Metafiktion - es geht um einen faustischen Pakt. Aber ist das auch Thriller? Oder sowas wie ein Provinzkrimi? Ich habe ehrlich keine Ahnung.

Unser Protagonist wird vom Teufel besucht oder zumindest von einem seiner Handlanger. Dessen Name ist passenderweise Dangerfield (was mich immer an Danger Mouse denken ließ und das hat GAR NICHT geholfen). Die beiden schließen einen Pakt, aber statt diesen Pakt zu nutzen, um sich persönlich zu bereichern, rückt unser Protagonist (ein alternder Lehrer mit Hang zur Flasche) einiges in seiner Gemeinde gerade.

Wie immer bei Freeman gut geschrieben, spitzzüngig und genau beobachtet. Aber doch eher episodisch. Es fehlte etwas der Drive.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Devil In The Valley. I don’t usually get on with books with a supernatural element, but Castle Freeman writes so well and uses wit, humanity and classical allusion to such good effect that this was a noble exception.

The story is a sort of updated take on the legend of Faust but goes its own way with the idea. Set in rural Vermont, a solitary, drunken man named Taft is visited by Mr Dangerfield – a thinly disguised Mephistopheles – who offers him all he wants on earth in exchange for his soul in Hell in a few months time. So far, so familiar, but Taft uses his new powers not for self-enrichment and indulgence, but to relieve the sufferings of others in various ways. Freeman then plays with the paradox of a pact with evil being used for good very effectively. He also writes with subtle wit and allusion to the mythology of Hell, so that Dangerfield’s assistants (well, more like enforcers) are called BZ and Ash, for example, which I liked very much. There is also real humanity here, as in this passage after the death of a popular teenager:
“Soon would have to begin the search for comfort, for strength, a search perfectly vain, reduced at best to reliance on ancient solace, the bleak assurance that the good die young and the young die good, spared as they are the disappointments, disabilities, and dissolutions that inevitably afflict those of us who live on. True, perhaps, but not a truth that has ever brought much relief to survivors in pain…”

I absolutely loved Castle Freeman’s Lucian Wing trilogy. This is perhaps not quite as brilliant, but it’s a fine, thoughtful and readable novel which I can recommend warmly.

[Tripfiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novel set in VERMONT (a pact with the devil)

A very well and amusingly written update of the Faustian legend by Marlowe… and not, I am pleased to say, as black as I feared it might be. A retired and somewhat crabby alcoholic schoolteacher in rural Vermont is ‘befriended’ by Dangerfield (‘the account man, the closer…’) on behalf of the Devil. The schoolteacher, Langdon Taft, is offered anything he wants in this world before he is transported to hell on Columbus Day – just seven months hence. He accepts the contract. He is a pretty obvious rogue, and our presumption is that he will choose a younger age, power, wealth and sex (not necessarily in that order…). He does not believe in the Devil or Hell and thinks he will be able to contrive an escape from the pact.

He also does not behave as we think he might. Instead of hedonistic pursuits he pays a very sick child’s hospital bills, gives a wife beater a lesson he will not forget, prevents a dodgy bank foreclosing on a local farmer, rescues a drowning girl, and even attacks school bus bullies. In short he uses his contract to perform good deeds. Which poses a real dilemma. Does he deserve to go to Hell? The devil would argue that the powers he has given him have enabled him to get pleasure from his deeds – and that he deserves to pay for this pleasure he would not otherwise have had. He also had the reward of a flirtation with an attractive female State Trooper (though more chaste than Dangerfield, who organised the event, had planned for it to be…). Taft would argue that he has successfully fooled the Devil by diverting his power to do good and help the community in which he lives. That he has won.

Then there is the parallel story of Calpurnia, a 98 year old woman in a hospice waiting to die… Gradually her story merges with that of Langdon Taft as we head for the conclusion.

The Devil In The Valley is not a weighty tome. It is just 192 pages of not too small type – I read it in two sittings totalling a couple of hours. It is a simple idea, well executed – and it works. I enjoyed the book.

Over on our blog we chat to the author about writing, Vermont and more: http://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-...

[Otis Hanby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book to rate. Why? Well, it was hard for me to get in sync with it. It seemed dated and modern, both simultaneously. And just as I became frustrated in reading this novel I'd soon find myself in step again with the story. I'm sure it's me and my limited intellect that account for my criticisms, but who's to say? I will say this; 'The Devil in the Valley' was a bit of a chore for me to read. With that said, I found myself pleasantly rewarded for my perseverance. All-in-all I enjoyed the sum of its parts. If you can stick it out I know you will almost love this tale. I came close, several times.

[Bianca Sandale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witzig und kurzweilig erzählt, aber trotzdem sprachlich ganz hohes Niveau,
das schaffen andere auf 500 Seiten nicht.

[Adelyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual fare, but I happened to come across and gave it a go – and did enjoy it! The writing style is not typical of what I read, so it took awhile to get into. I was properly confused in the first two chapters, had no clue what was going on – silly, really, as it’s in the title!

I think what really helped is how much I liked Taft as a character, I thought there was a very sweet man underneath what he shows to the world, and this was captured several times with his actions towards several different groups of people in the village. His dialogue with the Devil sounded so exasperated at times that it was funny – he clearly didn’t enjoy every second of his newfound privilege as much as some others might have – and the resulting interaction was hence amusing to read about. And then, just as I thought I knew exactly what was going on and was coasting to the finish, the author produces something I didn’t quite expect but thought that it was a brilliant way to close the circle with Calpurnia.

Wonderful short read, and one that I’d recommend. Read it in as few sittings as possible though, as I did feel like it’s one that I needed to get into the zone in order to enjoy. 3.5 stars, 4 on Goodreads.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story of a Vermont man who makes a pact with the devil but doesn't ask for the usual things.

[Kathryn Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t really understand this one either…. It was the front cover that intrigued me

[Still · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superior fantasy novel by a favorite author.

The driver was talking to her. I think you and my friend Taft would hit it off, he said.

He wants to meet you. He's shy though. But you'll like him. There's more to Taft than you might think. Oh, I know everybody says he's a lush, he's not playing with a full deck, all that. They don't know Taft. I could show you things.

What things?


Questions, questions, Sweetheart, said the driver. Suffice to say, Taft's a man apart, a man to take account of. A man of many talents. I could show you things...

[Johan Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Devil in the Valley es una obra corta de terror que, aunque no se distancia mucho de las convenciones clásicas del género, ofrece una experiencia entretenida para aquellos que buscan una lectura ligera y directa. Desde su estructura narrativa hasta sus elementos de suspense, el relato está claramente enfocado en proporcionar una historia de terror efectiva, pero sin intentar alcanzar un nivel de profundidad que la haga destacar entre las grandes obras del género.

La novela sigue un desarrollo lineal, con personajes que encajan en los arquetipos típicos de las historias de terror: protagonistas curiosos, misterios antiguos, y un mal latente que se va desvelando a lo largo de la trama. Aunque los personajes son funcionales para la historia, carecen de un desarrollo emocional o psicológico significativo, lo que puede dificultar la conexión del lector con ellos. Este enfoque en la trama por encima de la caracterización puede hacer que el relato se sienta algo superficial en ciertos momentos, pero al mismo tiempo permite que la narrativa fluya sin complicaciones, manteniendo la atención del lector centrada en los eventos y el misterio en torno a la lectura.

A pesar de su brevedad, The Devil in the Valley logra mantener un ritmo constante, sin detenerse demasiado en los detalles o en la construcción de un trasfondo demasiado elaborado. Esto puede ser visto como una fortaleza para quienes prefieren el terror más directo, sin adornos innecesarios.

En cuanto al desarrollo del “mal” central de la trama, es efectivo en términos de generar una sensación de amenaza, pero tampoco sorprende. Los elementos sobrenaturales que se exploran son familiares para los lectores experimentados en el género, por lo que no logra innovar o aportar algo nuevo. Sin embargo, esto no impide que sea una lectura disfrutable. Lo que falta en originalidad es compensado con una ejecución competente, que entrega una historia sólida y funcional dentro de los cánones del terror.

Puede no ser una obra maestra del horror, pero cumple con su objetivo principal: proporcionar una lectura amena, que mantiene al lector intrigado durante toda su extensión. Es una historia que no se arriesga demasiado, pero a veces, eso es todo lo que se necesita para disfrutar de un buen relato de terror.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having studied Dr Faustus at Uni and LOVED it, I was excited to be offered this to review - pegged as a modern day re-working of Faustus I dived straight in and wasn't disappointed.

Castle Freeman Jr has written a perfect modern day version - he hasn't followed the storyline exactly, but pretty darn close to it - and it is an absolute joy to read. Whereas the original Faustus was given 24 years to enjoy his deal with the devil, Taft has only a few months, and he uses those few months wisely. I loved him, really loved him. When we meet him he is prickly, a drunk, someone who the reader feels sure will abuse the power that Dangerfield gives him, but he is also not what I thought he would be.

A book that, whether it is meant to or not, has an underlying "feel good" factor, I enjoyed every last page - and the ending was just the icing on the cake. Whether you know the story of Faustus or not, this is a novel that every reader will enjoy, with characters that offer far more than I was expecting.

[pergamentfalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Mann mit vielen Talenten*

Castle Freemann

"Denkst du der Himmel sei solch ein herrlich Ding? Ich sag' dir Faust, er ist nicht halb so schön als du und jeder Andre Mensch auf Erden."

Wer kennt es nicht, das Teufelsbündniss, bei dem der arme Sünder seine Seele verkauft, um das Leben seiner Träume zu führen? Der Vergleich zu Faust und Mephisto liegt nahe, denn mit seinem Roman „Ein Mann mit vielen Talenten“ entwirft Castle Freeman nun seine eigene Version des literarischen Teufelspakts. Castles Interpretation des Faust Stoffs ist dabei so wunderbar gelungen, dass das Lesen jede Menge Spaß macht.

Neben den offensichtlichen Parallelen gibt es aber auch genug Differenzierendes. So scheint Langdon Taft, die Hauptperson des Romans, anders als Faust einem fest verinnerlichten moralischen Codex zu folgen.

Ein Umstand, der mich nicht nur amüsierte und gut unterhielt, sondern auch die Frage in mir wach rief, ob ich meine Privilgien nur für mein eigenes Wohlbefinden nutze oder auch das Leben anderer positiv beeinflusse.

Eine klare Leseempfehlung

5 von 5 🌟

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Recommended by sevendaysvt.com, as Freeman is a Vermont author. I enjoyed this small(190 pages!) Faustian story set near Brattleboro. Langdon Taft makes a deal with the devil to have all his wishes come true, but his wishes are not the usual ones. Instead, he tries to make peoples' lives better. The chapters switch between episodes of Taft helping people and following the thoughts of a 98-year-old woman dying in hospital, who follows his actions with interest. Nicely written, slightly tongue in cheek. Easy to read.

[John Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Langdon Taft, who lives “five miles the other side of nowhere” in Vermont, is bored. A mysterious stranger appears on his porch one day and offers to help. New England taciturnity, small-town ambience (everyone has an opinion on what everyone else is up to), and crafty maneuverings infuse this slender, charming, upside-down Faustian tale.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a few pages to get into this - there was me foolishly assuming it was just another Faustian tale... - but soon it caught me, becoming a nigh on perfect little tale of good and evil. Beautifully written.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another extremely interesting and difficult to categorize book by Castle Freeman. Life, death, Vermont. Read it. Every book that I've read by CF has been well worth the time........

[Rosmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

++ Ein Geschäft mit dem Teufel läuft anders als erwartet

Ich bin ein Fan von Castle Freeman und daher habe ich mich sehr auf dieses neue Werk gefreut. Die Handlung spielt wieder in einem Tal im Hinterland von Vermont und diesmal geht es um den Eigenbrötler Langdon Taft. Taft war Lehrer und seit er im Ruhestand ist, gibt es außer Alkohol nicht viel in seinem Alltag. Eines Abends steht ein gewisser Mr. Dangerfield bei ihm vor der Tür und macht ihm ein verlockendes Angebot. Für ein halbes Jahr bekommt er Talente und Möglichkeiten die es braucht um sich alle Wünsche zu erfüllen. Der Preis dafür ist hoch. Er schließt einen Pakt mit einem Abgesandten der Hölle.

Taft nutzt diese neuen Möglichkeiten aber nicht eigennützig zu seinem privaten Vorteil, sondern hilft bzw. greift ein, wo es im Ort Probleme gibt. Aber immer eher unkonventionell. Das ist auch der rote Faden in allen Freeman-Büchern. Die Figuren nehmen die Angelegenheiten in die eigene Hand und regeln es auf ihre Art.

Die Handlung lebt wieder von den Dialogen, die manchmal recht wortkarg, aber trotzdem aussagekräftig sind. Das mag ich besonders an diesen Büchern.

Ich hoffe, dass uns Castle Freeman noch öfters in die dunkelsten Ecken der Vermonter Wälder führt.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon and absolutely loved Freeman's earlier slim novel, Go With Me, and so picked this up as soon as it came out. Set in those same Vermont hills, this is a clever and entertaining version of the "deal with the Devil" plot. Here we find cranky retired schoolteacher Langdon Taft, whose musings bring forth the Devil. Or rather, not the Devil, but his sales rep -- Dangerfield. Coming to town with his arrogant, slick-talking, big city ways, Dangerfield is a "closer" straight out of Glengarry Glen Ross.

Taft warily negotiates with Dangerfield, and ultimately signs on the line to have his wishes granted for seven months.However, contrary to expectations, Taft's desires are largely small-scale and for the benefit of others in the community. Each of these actions are their own memorable short story. Meanwhile, at a nearby nursing home, 98-year-old Calpurnia ekes out the final days of her life, keeping a careful eye on all that transpires. How she's connected to the story slowly becomes more evident, as it unravels to its deliciously satisfying conclusion.

[Saaraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from a metro station book stall because I was in the mood to read some selling-your-soul-to-the-devil kinda story. Ik there are a ton of them out there but I love reading what writers come up with these days.

It has two perspectives, one of the protagonist and the other of an old age home resident. Their stories alternate per chapter. There are 3-4 incidents which shape the plot of the book.

Yays;

1. It was a quick read
2. Simple language
3. Engaging tale
4. The concept of the soul selling business being like an enterprise was pretty dope for me.

Naahs;

1. This one was not a let down but it also wasn't something so good that it would stay with you for a long time or something
2. grammatical mistakes
3. Random scenes just thrown together
4. No moments where I could stop, close the book and think about what I read
5. Everything was pretty vague, felt like a desperate attempt at being mysterious

[John Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a devilishly cunning book.
The wording is simple, the pages fly by, and it doesn't test your brain cells too much, if at all.
There is much dialogue between the devil's disciple, Dangerfield, and the simple, scotch drinking, Taft.
My first thoughts were that this was all so banal, and much of it is.
And yet...
I had to keep on reading it, and I devoured the book rather quickly, I must say.
In its simpleness it tended to endear me to it, with its sheer quaintness.
Certainly different.

[duo-la · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, but nothing terribly compelling (except maybe for the scene with the banker). I will say that I did NOT like the way the two henchmen were described in that scene, and knowing that this writer *chose* those words specifically made me instantly dislike him and diminished any enjoyment I may have subsequently derived from this book smh. I would describe this as a palate cleanser in between more intense reads.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just stumble upon the perfect book! Found this book in the to be shelved section of our local library, and it was the perfect Halloween read.

Not so much of a scary novel, but an interesting and unusual tale of a man who makes a contract with the devil. Loved the quirky and cantankerous main character whose first wish is something only a Northern New Englander would wish for.

Highly recommended. A new favorite!

[Gillian Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As other reviewers have said the writing in this book is wonderfully atmospheric. The misty, slightly creepy back waters of rural Connecticut are the backdrop to the story. I enjoyed the dialogue and folksy style of story telling and am definitely on the look out for other books by this author. That said the premise of this book appears to be that the Devil exists but God doesn't and that evil can be overcome by evil. I disagree.

[Peter Biello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tight novel with fresh language and a conclusion I didn't expect. I love the fresh representation of the devil. Still wondering why nearly all the characters are named after US presidents, though that didn't take away from the experience.

[Bookpassion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wieder mal ein ganz wundervoller Freeman, der seinem neuen Meisterwerk einen unerwartet märchenhaften Touch verliehen hat. Ich konnte lachen, mitfühlen, wurde überrascht und zum Nachdenken gebracht. Herrliches Buch!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read, great dialogue, but the core concept isn't executed that well.
yes, it's a new twist on the usual deal with the devil plot, but while the uses the main character makes of his new found power are very interesting, the ending leaves a lot to be desired

[Doc Quatermass · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Kurt Vonnegut wrote horror...

[Rekha O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern Faustian tale - unexpectedly funny. I can’t remember how I came to have this book. It just kind of appeared one day at a time when I needed something unique. Coincidence?