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Kelland
The truth begins with a family evacuated from Saigon during the final days of the Viet Nam War. Or perhaps it begins later, with a devoutly Catholic child with the voice of an angel who is troubled by visions both sacred and profane. Or perhaps later still, with a couple drifting apart following a tragedy.
Kelland appears to them all in the guise of a small boy, a lover, a priest...Kelland is an enigma, a puzzle, and an almost imperceptible presence. Kelland is violence, sorrow, and joy. Kelland is the common thread tying five disparate strangers together.
Kelland appears to them all in the guise of a small boy, a lover, a priest...Kelland is an enigma, a puzzle, and an almost imperceptible presence. Kelland is violence, sorrow, and joy. Kelland is the common thread tying five disparate strangers together.
251 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
572 people want to read
About the author
Paul G. Bens Jr.
11 books76 followersBorn in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, far too many years ago to be honest about, Paul G. Bens, Jr., has spent the majority of his adult life in the entertainment industry. His first foray into Hollywoodland was as a casting assistant on the feature films Trip to Spirit Island and Martians Go Home. He then graduated to Casting Associate and worked for three years on the NBC hit series Night Court as well as the short-lived series Walter & Emily, Good & Evil and The Linda Lavin Show. As a film and television Casting Director he was responsible for the principal casting of such fine (ahem!) feature films as Death Ring, Evil Obsession and Flipping, as well as the television series Ned & Stacey, Malcolm & Eddie, Likely Suspects, Murder in Small Town X and a string of unsold pilots. Outside of casting, Bens has been many things: a film producer, a file clerk, an altar boy, a bartender (still makes killer martinis), a boy scout and, for a second-and-a-half, an actor.
As an author, Bens' short fiction has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Dark Discoveries, The Egg Box, Outsider Ink, Scared Naked, HeavyGlow, Bleeding Quill, Twisted Tongue, Velvet Mafia: Dangerous Queer Fiction and Chick Flicks. His debut novel "Kelland" was awarded the 2009 Dark Quill Award for Best Small Press Chill.
Currently, Bens marks time working for an historic Hollywood film studio as a paralegal in the new media division. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his ever-patient husband. When not writing, he can generally be found driving around smoggy Los Angeles, singing along with the radio to Van Halen, Def Leppard or The Smashing Pumpkins, and day-dreaming about living full time in Hawai‘i.
Learn more about Paul at www.paulbens.com
As an author, Bens' short fiction has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Dark Discoveries, The Egg Box, Outsider Ink, Scared Naked, HeavyGlow, Bleeding Quill, Twisted Tongue, Velvet Mafia: Dangerous Queer Fiction and Chick Flicks. His debut novel "Kelland" was awarded the 2009 Dark Quill Award for Best Small Press Chill.
Currently, Bens marks time working for an historic Hollywood film studio as a paralegal in the new media division. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his ever-patient husband. When not writing, he can generally be found driving around smoggy Los Angeles, singing along with the radio to Van Halen, Def Leppard or The Smashing Pumpkins, and day-dreaming about living full time in Hawai‘i.
Learn more about Paul at www.paulbens.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 16, 2015
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
Kelland definitely has the makings of a good horror story, but there is so much more that prevents it from being lumped solidly into one genre. There are elements of magical realism, family drama, suspense, and mystery. The story also explores religious faith, breaches of trust, and forgiveness.
Kelland is the mystery that binds the lives of five very different individuals. There is Minh and Toan, two brothers who left Vietnam to start a new life. There is 9-year-old George, with a strong religious faith and the awareness that he’s different from other boys. And there is Gareth and Melanie, whose marriage is deteriorating after they suffer a tragic loss.
The story bounces back and forth between the lives of each character and different stages in their lives. It was a little disconcerting at first, but the characters are so vividly described and each section builds on their story, so there is never any confusion.
Kelland is the force that helps each of these characters confront the evil that directly and indirectly affects their lives.
This story shook me to the core and left me breathless. It was dark and painful at times, but ultimately hopeful.
Just read it.
Kelland definitely has the makings of a good horror story, but there is so much more that prevents it from being lumped solidly into one genre. There are elements of magical realism, family drama, suspense, and mystery. The story also explores religious faith, breaches of trust, and forgiveness.
Kelland is the mystery that binds the lives of five very different individuals. There is Minh and Toan, two brothers who left Vietnam to start a new life. There is 9-year-old George, with a strong religious faith and the awareness that he’s different from other boys. And there is Gareth and Melanie, whose marriage is deteriorating after they suffer a tragic loss.
The story bounces back and forth between the lives of each character and different stages in their lives. It was a little disconcerting at first, but the characters are so vividly described and each section builds on their story, so there is never any confusion.
Kelland is the force that helps each of these characters confront the evil that directly and indirectly affects their lives.
This story shook me to the core and left me breathless. It was dark and painful at times, but ultimately hopeful.
Just read it.
September 4, 2009
Kelland is an amazing book. It's the gripping story of a group of disparate people who have in some way, either directly or indirectly, been touched by an unspeakable evil. The book takes us on a journey through time beginning in Vietnam in 1975 and ending in the US in 1998, and back and forth again through the years as we follow the lives of brothers Minh and Toan, a young boy named George whose angelic singing voice and love of Christ set him apart from other children, teenager Lucas trying to deal with moving to a new home and leaving behind someone very important to him and Melanie and Gareth, a happily married couple who slowly begin to grow apart and lose each other after a devastating loss.
This is not a M/M romance although there are gay characters in the story as well as loving relationships. Kelland is a story of evil hidden behind the guise of goodness and piety and of the effect it has on the lives of some of the people that come into contact with it. Whether that effect is felt first hand or as the result of the damage done to these people it is nevertheless felt quite keenly throughout the book.
As the book progresses we meet Kelland in various forms; as a small boy, a gay man, a beautiful young woman and a priest. Kelland in these different forms interacts with the characters of the book and ultimately helps to bring about the climactic ending but just who or what Kelland is will remain a mystery throughout the book. The author leaves the answer to that question up to the reader to decide for themselves.
I don't want to say much more about what happens in the book as I don't want to spill any of the important parts of the book. This is a story that needs to be read without knowing too much of the particulars of it. In this way the author's wonderful vision can be best appreciated.
Overall I found Kelland to be a very well written and thought provoking story. Featuring a wonderful cast of characters and a plot that will keep you engrossed in the story from beginning to end Kelland shows us the pain and destruction that follows coming into contact with an evil that no one should ever have to deal with.
There is much sorrow, hate and rage in this story but also love and hope. Paul G. Bens, Jr. manages to balance all of the characters and emotions in this gripping debut novel so that even though the story is dark and very painful at times it never overwhelms the reader. As I read this book I found myself wanting to keep reading straight to the end because the story just didn't want to let me go and at the same time I wanted to slow down so that it didn't end. That's the same feeling I would get when reading some of my favorite Stephen King books and it had been quite a while since I had felt this way about a book.
Kelland is definitely a 5 star keeper. I loved this book and look forward to reading it again in the future. I highly recommend it. Buy Kelland and experience it for yourself, you won't be sorry.
This is not a M/M romance although there are gay characters in the story as well as loving relationships. Kelland is a story of evil hidden behind the guise of goodness and piety and of the effect it has on the lives of some of the people that come into contact with it. Whether that effect is felt first hand or as the result of the damage done to these people it is nevertheless felt quite keenly throughout the book.
As the book progresses we meet Kelland in various forms; as a small boy, a gay man, a beautiful young woman and a priest. Kelland in these different forms interacts with the characters of the book and ultimately helps to bring about the climactic ending but just who or what Kelland is will remain a mystery throughout the book. The author leaves the answer to that question up to the reader to decide for themselves.
I don't want to say much more about what happens in the book as I don't want to spill any of the important parts of the book. This is a story that needs to be read without knowing too much of the particulars of it. In this way the author's wonderful vision can be best appreciated.
Overall I found Kelland to be a very well written and thought provoking story. Featuring a wonderful cast of characters and a plot that will keep you engrossed in the story from beginning to end Kelland shows us the pain and destruction that follows coming into contact with an evil that no one should ever have to deal with.
There is much sorrow, hate and rage in this story but also love and hope. Paul G. Bens, Jr. manages to balance all of the characters and emotions in this gripping debut novel so that even though the story is dark and very painful at times it never overwhelms the reader. As I read this book I found myself wanting to keep reading straight to the end because the story just didn't want to let me go and at the same time I wanted to slow down so that it didn't end. That's the same feeling I would get when reading some of my favorite Stephen King books and it had been quite a while since I had felt this way about a book.
Kelland is definitely a 5 star keeper. I loved this book and look forward to reading it again in the future. I highly recommend it. Buy Kelland and experience it for yourself, you won't be sorry.
October 25, 2015
2009 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
September 20, 2010
After the initial thought that I might have an idea of where this story is headed, I ended up very surprised. This is a book I want to talk about but not give anything away. The book's description is purposefully vague and that worked so well. I originally listed this on my horror shelf but I no longer think that fits, though there were moments when I felt horrified, this is not what I consider horror, a genre that I tend to wrongly view as simplistic and predictable, two qualities which do not describe this book. I ended up choosing fiction because even though there is magical realism present, especially in the last half of the book, it was the characters and setting descriptions which really transported me into the story. I felt little connection to the characters in the beginning yet by the end that had changed. I spent that first third searching for a way to relate, as I tend to dislike books I feel no personal connection to, and now I can not see how anyone could not feel a connection with this book. I am not religious, though I was raised Catholic. I am not a preteen boy and I hardly remember my youth, which is well represented in this book and something I try to avoid. I probably underestimate most children, their ability to observe and understand the world around them, coping abilities and such, not that this book has convinced me I am wrong for doing so. Without trying to include too much of what this book has made me think of, I can say that the first few pages alone made me teary eyed and the writing is beautiful. The ending actually ended up being extremely personal for me for reasons I am more than happy to discuss but I do not want to discourage people from reading this review by checking the spoiler box. If you tend to agree with my ratings, just read this. :)
June 18, 2009
Kelland
Author: Paul G. Bens Jr.
Publisher: Casperian Books
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
I was told this was a "dark" novel. Even the blurb and press releases hint at horror. This was not the typical horror type, in terms of your classic Halloween or scary monster horror story, but the horror contained in the darker aspects of humanity and truly horrific events in terms of loss of child innocence, abuse and relationships between family members, friends, neighbors, religious community.
I couldn't help but think of it in terms of a seventh-degree of Kelland domino effect.
At first I was wondering why Paul G. Bens Jr wrote Kelland in the format of jumping from character-place-time-event from one chapter to another. I also was wondering if I was going to have to take notes for the cast of characters. (Which is something I haven't done in a long time - though I am known to highlight favorite passages for future reference).
Turns out, I couldn't really imagine the format written any other way. I was soon enveloped in the world of Toan and his brother Minh, angelic George (wait were we ever so very innocent and loving?), the "lipstick Lesbian" Tracey, Lucas, and Melanie and Gareth. Paul adds so much realism to the story and brings the characters to life with the Vietnamese family, dialogue and interactions, Ma & Ba, Toan's singing, guitar playing, song composing, the pomp and pageantry of the Catholic Mass, and the gremlins that potentially hide beneath the most innocent of exteriors.
The cover art at first had no real meaning for me, and I didn't really "see", but if you read Kelland and truly look at the cover - you will be bowled over the enormity of the art and the story. I am not sure I have been as moved by either a story or the cover art as I was by Kelland. I didn't laugh out loud or cry so much as I "pondered" - if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I was terribly moved with joy and sorrow throughout the book.
This book is one I would love to have in a group discussion or a book club to get other readers opinions and discuss ramifications in current events of today often over-looked and passed over, deemed not important. How can a life-altering experience not be important?
So, yes, this was not one of my typical light hearted romance erotica, sci-fi, paranormal novels - but a full bodied mystery of human relations and the divineness that can be found in all of us. And Kelland? Make your own decision, but read Kelland.
Author: Paul G. Bens Jr.
Publisher: Casperian Books
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
I was told this was a "dark" novel. Even the blurb and press releases hint at horror. This was not the typical horror type, in terms of your classic Halloween or scary monster horror story, but the horror contained in the darker aspects of humanity and truly horrific events in terms of loss of child innocence, abuse and relationships between family members, friends, neighbors, religious community.
I couldn't help but think of it in terms of a seventh-degree of Kelland domino effect.
At first I was wondering why Paul G. Bens Jr wrote Kelland in the format of jumping from character-place-time-event from one chapter to another. I also was wondering if I was going to have to take notes for the cast of characters. (Which is something I haven't done in a long time - though I am known to highlight favorite passages for future reference).
Turns out, I couldn't really imagine the format written any other way. I was soon enveloped in the world of Toan and his brother Minh, angelic George (wait were we ever so very innocent and loving?), the "lipstick Lesbian" Tracey, Lucas, and Melanie and Gareth. Paul adds so much realism to the story and brings the characters to life with the Vietnamese family, dialogue and interactions, Ma & Ba, Toan's singing, guitar playing, song composing, the pomp and pageantry of the Catholic Mass, and the gremlins that potentially hide beneath the most innocent of exteriors.
The cover art at first had no real meaning for me, and I didn't really "see", but if you read Kelland and truly look at the cover - you will be bowled over the enormity of the art and the story. I am not sure I have been as moved by either a story or the cover art as I was by Kelland. I didn't laugh out loud or cry so much as I "pondered" - if that makes sense. Don't get me wrong, I was terribly moved with joy and sorrow throughout the book.
This book is one I would love to have in a group discussion or a book club to get other readers opinions and discuss ramifications in current events of today often over-looked and passed over, deemed not important. How can a life-altering experience not be important?
So, yes, this was not one of my typical light hearted romance erotica, sci-fi, paranormal novels - but a full bodied mystery of human relations and the divineness that can be found in all of us. And Kelland? Make your own decision, but read Kelland.
July 18, 2010
It's always so wonderful to discover a voice as fresh as this. Paul G. Bens, Jr. is a revelation. Kelland proves to be a remarkably complex, adult novel, and a brilliantly crafted one.
Make no mistake -- this is a sophisticated literary work. Though it may have one foot in Horror, comparing it to the usual genre effort is like comparing Don DeLillo to Mickey Spillane. I was completely engrossed by the layers of texture and meaning, the vivid characters and the utterly original plot. You don't want to miss this one.
Make no mistake -- this is a sophisticated literary work. Though it may have one foot in Horror, comparing it to the usual genre effort is like comparing Don DeLillo to Mickey Spillane. I was completely engrossed by the layers of texture and meaning, the vivid characters and the utterly original plot. You don't want to miss this one.
October 2, 2016
2nd Edition of "Kelland" is available at Amazon, now!
http://www.amazon.com/Kelland-Paul-G-...
http://www.amazon.com/Kelland-Paul-G-...
February 13, 2018
Can't bring myself to list this under horror: it's so much more. Highly recommend.
2018: Every bit as good as the first reading.
2018: Every bit as good as the first reading.
November 18, 2010
4.5 stars rounded up
Kelland proves that Paul G Bens is an exceptional author. After reading his collection of short stories, I knew I wanted to read Kelland and it doesn’t disappoint. While well written and technically easy to read, the topics broached are anything but light. The characters suffer, deeply, but this isn’t a depressing book. Instead it’s compelling, interesting, and dynamic on several levels. You can’t put the book down and don’t want it to end yet you know what’s coming isn’t necessarily good.
The story is a psychological thriller that connects the seemingly independent lives of five characters with one big secret. The story weaves these disparate elements together bit by bit with a non-linear timeline. Jumping forward and backward from childhood to the present time of 1997, the characters reveal their lives in pieces. Their lives are all touched by the same secret but that knowledge is withheld until the climax scene at the end when the various threads meld to one narrative. The catalyst for the truth is always a being named Kelland, someone who can be everything and anything including good and evil depending on the situation.
The six characters are all fascinating in their own right. From two young refugees from VietNam, Minh and Toan, we learn the complexities of brotherhood and the pain of betrayal. Minh builds his life based on routine and regimented time schedules while constantly cheating on a wife he adores and loves completely. For Minh, Kelland is a beautiful woman, seducing him from his efforts to be good. Minh’s younger brother Toan is one of the sympathetic and heart breaking members of the cast as his journey to the truth is painful and violent. For Toan, Kelland is an abusive lover, forcing Toan to remember events he would rather forget.
Young proud George is just a child but already wanting to devote his life to God. His belief, faith, and strength are the catalyst for the most change. He, alone, is perhaps the strongest of the group and will survive the events the best. His strength, insight, and faith are offset against the more emotionally troubled characters. Lucas is markedly different as a young man struggling to find himself amid his problems. His parents, Melanie and Gareth, have no idea what their son is going through and the journey to that truth is heart wrenching.
The writing is very clean and crisp with no wasted scenes or descriptions. There is a lot of emotion and intensity packed into the pages with well crafted prose and a good pace. The big evil secret is not difficult to figure out, there are so many clues the story almost wants you to understand the pain and heart break well before the final resolution. Instead the mystery of who Kelland is and how this being hurts, loves, protects, ravages, and forces each and every one of the characters to face the truth is compelling. This being is simultaneously good and evil, meting out the treatment deemed necessary for the truth to be revealed. This utter devotion to the truth eventually helps all the characters to one degree or another but that help is neither cheap nor easy.
One important point to make is that none of the extremes offered in the story are sensational. They fit with the theme and purpose of the story every time. There is always compassion tempered by force and love mingled with pain. This duality keeps you on edge while reading, wanting to hurry yet also wanting to linger, absorbed in the characters and their lives. There are numerous almost repetitive scenes where the characters do little but live their lives. Often fighting knowledge, they want to ignore their truth. The story teases this out bit by bit so for those that already know the secret, this may cause some impatience. Yet the pace is important to teasing out reality in the proper pace. These scenes offer a way to identify with average people with a secret that isn’t so uncommon.
Beyond being a well written, incredibly well crafted story, Kelland is a tale that will haunt you. This is a story that clings to your mind and forces you to think about it long after you’ve stopped reading. Easily a must read, keeper shelf story that I can’t recommend enough.
Kelland proves that Paul G Bens is an exceptional author. After reading his collection of short stories, I knew I wanted to read Kelland and it doesn’t disappoint. While well written and technically easy to read, the topics broached are anything but light. The characters suffer, deeply, but this isn’t a depressing book. Instead it’s compelling, interesting, and dynamic on several levels. You can’t put the book down and don’t want it to end yet you know what’s coming isn’t necessarily good.
The story is a psychological thriller that connects the seemingly independent lives of five characters with one big secret. The story weaves these disparate elements together bit by bit with a non-linear timeline. Jumping forward and backward from childhood to the present time of 1997, the characters reveal their lives in pieces. Their lives are all touched by the same secret but that knowledge is withheld until the climax scene at the end when the various threads meld to one narrative. The catalyst for the truth is always a being named Kelland, someone who can be everything and anything including good and evil depending on the situation.
The six characters are all fascinating in their own right. From two young refugees from VietNam, Minh and Toan, we learn the complexities of brotherhood and the pain of betrayal. Minh builds his life based on routine and regimented time schedules while constantly cheating on a wife he adores and loves completely. For Minh, Kelland is a beautiful woman, seducing him from his efforts to be good. Minh’s younger brother Toan is one of the sympathetic and heart breaking members of the cast as his journey to the truth is painful and violent. For Toan, Kelland is an abusive lover, forcing Toan to remember events he would rather forget.
Young proud George is just a child but already wanting to devote his life to God. His belief, faith, and strength are the catalyst for the most change. He, alone, is perhaps the strongest of the group and will survive the events the best. His strength, insight, and faith are offset against the more emotionally troubled characters. Lucas is markedly different as a young man struggling to find himself amid his problems. His parents, Melanie and Gareth, have no idea what their son is going through and the journey to that truth is heart wrenching.
The writing is very clean and crisp with no wasted scenes or descriptions. There is a lot of emotion and intensity packed into the pages with well crafted prose and a good pace. The big evil secret is not difficult to figure out, there are so many clues the story almost wants you to understand the pain and heart break well before the final resolution. Instead the mystery of who Kelland is and how this being hurts, loves, protects, ravages, and forces each and every one of the characters to face the truth is compelling. This being is simultaneously good and evil, meting out the treatment deemed necessary for the truth to be revealed. This utter devotion to the truth eventually helps all the characters to one degree or another but that help is neither cheap nor easy.
One important point to make is that none of the extremes offered in the story are sensational. They fit with the theme and purpose of the story every time. There is always compassion tempered by force and love mingled with pain. This duality keeps you on edge while reading, wanting to hurry yet also wanting to linger, absorbed in the characters and their lives. There are numerous almost repetitive scenes where the characters do little but live their lives. Often fighting knowledge, they want to ignore their truth. The story teases this out bit by bit so for those that already know the secret, this may cause some impatience. Yet the pace is important to teasing out reality in the proper pace. These scenes offer a way to identify with average people with a secret that isn’t so uncommon.
Beyond being a well written, incredibly well crafted story, Kelland is a tale that will haunt you. This is a story that clings to your mind and forces you to think about it long after you’ve stopped reading. Easily a must read, keeper shelf story that I can’t recommend enough.
August 21, 2010
I just finished Kelland and wow! I do not consider it a genre novel, gay or horror, but as literary fiction that does not really fit a genre. It a complex story with multiple tightly woven threads that all come together and eventually make sense. Further, I have impressions at the beginning about characters, which changed back and forth as the book developed. My feelings and thoughts were not forced by the novel, I could use my own experiences to make sense of the story. And, I think it says things, for me, on a number of levels.
Re Lucas— I do not think developing him would have added much to the novel. His blog posts and implications from other characters are all I really need to know to know Lucas. And here, I am putting a lot of myself into that interpretation. One unanswered question about Lucas, is did Kelland cause him to suicide; as his truth was there is no hope, no way out of this? Did Kelland fail in Lucas' case? I dont really want these questions definitely answered by the author. I think it better they remain uncertain.
A simple outline of the story is a bunch of people who have an abusive priest in common all wrapped by the Catholic church who are visited by the mysterious Kelland who brings them pain, death, temptation, self knowledge, love, hate and even the possibility of redemption.
Considering Catholicism as the book's, milieu, I first thought Kelland was a Demon, and as George's story developed, an Angel and then a Demon again as he interacts with the others and then an Angel at the climax and then both. But then the Devil was an Angel. Like good and evil, Angels and Devils are two sides of a coin. I even considered that Kelland was Lucas incarnate after his suicide, and was forcing all these people towards the climax, sort of like a successful Screwtape. But that's probably pushing things.
One thing that's very personal are the Vietnamese characters, esp the idea of the thousand lions and the boy's experiences during the Vietnam war. I was in college then, very anti-war, but came away with the propagandized feelings that they were an evil people. I had a lot of friends who went to 'Nam, many were killed, many screwed up for life. I have had very strong, negative emotions about the war and the Vietnamese. After all, if they had never existed, I would have been spared a lot of pain. The short descriptions of the boys experiences from the falling bombs allowed me to to face these feelings and start to deal with them. I must thank Paul Bens or perhaps Kelland for that.
Re Lucas— I do not think developing him would have added much to the novel. His blog posts and implications from other characters are all I really need to know to know Lucas. And here, I am putting a lot of myself into that interpretation. One unanswered question about Lucas, is did Kelland cause him to suicide; as his truth was there is no hope, no way out of this? Did Kelland fail in Lucas' case? I dont really want these questions definitely answered by the author. I think it better they remain uncertain.
A simple outline of the story is a bunch of people who have an abusive priest in common all wrapped by the Catholic church who are visited by the mysterious Kelland who brings them pain, death, temptation, self knowledge, love, hate and even the possibility of redemption.
Considering Catholicism as the book's, milieu, I first thought Kelland was a Demon, and as George's story developed, an Angel and then a Demon again as he interacts with the others and then an Angel at the climax and then both. But then the Devil was an Angel. Like good and evil, Angels and Devils are two sides of a coin. I even considered that Kelland was Lucas incarnate after his suicide, and was forcing all these people towards the climax, sort of like a successful Screwtape. But that's probably pushing things.
One thing that's very personal are the Vietnamese characters, esp the idea of the thousand lions and the boy's experiences during the Vietnam war. I was in college then, very anti-war, but came away with the propagandized feelings that they were an evil people. I had a lot of friends who went to 'Nam, many were killed, many screwed up for life. I have had very strong, negative emotions about the war and the Vietnamese. After all, if they had never existed, I would have been spared a lot of pain. The short descriptions of the boys experiences from the falling bombs allowed me to to face these feelings and start to deal with them. I must thank Paul Bens or perhaps Kelland for that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2011
Complicated. Challenging. Mysterious.
Mind-blowing.
These all describe Kelland, Paul G. Bens's dazzling debut.
Imagine coming upon a jigsaw puzzle that's only been partially put together. The box is nowhere in sight so you have no way of knowing what the whole picture is, but the outer edge is complete and a few recognizable sections have been assembled. So now it's up to you figure out how those seemingly disparate segments are connected. Little by little, the pieces start coming together...
Two Vietnamese immigrant brothers living in the United States with their parents after the war. A lovelorn teenager writing unanswered letters to his sweetheart back home. A chubby, misfit Catholic school boy with aspirations to serve God. A middle-aged couple drifting apart after a terrible loss. Their stories are told in short, easily digestible chapters which are deliberately placed out of chronological order, all of them cleverly sequenced in order preserve the mystery and maximize the impact of the story's climax. This intricate construction is one of the book's most impressive features.
But it wasn't merely the writer's craft, my curiosity or even the suspense that kept me glued. It was the characters, an authentically complicated group of people, who won me over. Each one has a particular allure and I felt emotionally invested in how things worked out for them. That said, you can rest assured this is no artless Nicholas Sparks tear-jerker; it's literature and if Bens is manipulating the reader's emotions, it's only in service of his message.
A rather timely message, too.
Boy, it's hard to review Kelland without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, the ending builds to a heart pounding crescendo, as the cuts between scenes get shorter and shorter, building momentum until the final, critical confrontation. Bens' experience in the film industry certainly comes through in his writing; these final scenes are grandly cinematic.
This is a very accomplished work of fiction and highly recommended.
Mind-blowing.
These all describe Kelland, Paul G. Bens's dazzling debut.
Imagine coming upon a jigsaw puzzle that's only been partially put together. The box is nowhere in sight so you have no way of knowing what the whole picture is, but the outer edge is complete and a few recognizable sections have been assembled. So now it's up to you figure out how those seemingly disparate segments are connected. Little by little, the pieces start coming together...
Two Vietnamese immigrant brothers living in the United States with their parents after the war. A lovelorn teenager writing unanswered letters to his sweetheart back home. A chubby, misfit Catholic school boy with aspirations to serve God. A middle-aged couple drifting apart after a terrible loss. Their stories are told in short, easily digestible chapters which are deliberately placed out of chronological order, all of them cleverly sequenced in order preserve the mystery and maximize the impact of the story's climax. This intricate construction is one of the book's most impressive features.
But it wasn't merely the writer's craft, my curiosity or even the suspense that kept me glued. It was the characters, an authentically complicated group of people, who won me over. Each one has a particular allure and I felt emotionally invested in how things worked out for them. That said, you can rest assured this is no artless Nicholas Sparks tear-jerker; it's literature and if Bens is manipulating the reader's emotions, it's only in service of his message.
A rather timely message, too.
Boy, it's hard to review Kelland without giving too much away, but suffice it to say, the ending builds to a heart pounding crescendo, as the cuts between scenes get shorter and shorter, building momentum until the final, critical confrontation. Bens' experience in the film industry certainly comes through in his writing; these final scenes are grandly cinematic.
This is a very accomplished work of fiction and highly recommended.
August 28, 2010
Kelland is likely to be the best book you might not read this year. With its non-descript cover, vague synopsis, and limited small press visibility, it would be easy for this compelling, beautifully written debut novel from native Kentuckian Paul G. Bens to be overlooked. And that would be a sincere shame.
Kelland is a gorgeous, genre-defying novel of heartrending truth, a work that builds slowly and confidently toward a page-turning climax that will leave you breathless in anticipation of the inevitable events one is never quite sure how will play out. This speculative fiction tour de force blends the concept of human interconnectivity with the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the limits of forgiveness – a literary fusion of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia meets Sleepers crossed with The Boys of St. Vincent.
Read the rest of the review here.
Kelland is a gorgeous, genre-defying novel of heartrending truth, a work that builds slowly and confidently toward a page-turning climax that will leave you breathless in anticipation of the inevitable events one is never quite sure how will play out. This speculative fiction tour de force blends the concept of human interconnectivity with the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the limits of forgiveness – a literary fusion of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia meets Sleepers crossed with The Boys of St. Vincent.
Read the rest of the review here.
February 3, 2010
So I waited for this book for a really long time. Maybe in a creepy way, I don't know, but I waited for it for what felt like forever because it'd been at the top of Casperian's book list for eons (I think the summer break of releases kept it there for quite some time) until it was finally released in Sept. And it was worth the wait and it never disappointed.
And it's just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. Paul's prose flows naturally, and he has a real skill at building tension gradually throughout the skipping plot lines, time warps, and scenes in general.
And man, the ending/climax was a total mind blow. Well, actually, there were a lot of little mind blows throughout the book, which made it a genuine page-turner because I never wanted to put it down.
Amazing book. Beautifully written.
And it's just as beautiful inside as it is on the outside. Paul's prose flows naturally, and he has a real skill at building tension gradually throughout the skipping plot lines, time warps, and scenes in general.
And man, the ending/climax was a total mind blow. Well, actually, there were a lot of little mind blows throughout the book, which made it a genuine page-turner because I never wanted to put it down.
Amazing book. Beautifully written.
January 31, 2011
Wow. What can I say? This book is not at all what I expected. My first foray ended at about 30 pages. The next foray, I banged in another 100 pages. I finished the rest in one sitting today.
I like that this book is sectioned in segments. It literally makes the reading fly by and the reading never felt cumbersome or long. I literally enjoyed every moment I spent reading Kelland.
The plot led me in directions I never expected and I'll have to stop there so as not to ruin anything for future readers. Suffice it to say that this is a great read and I highly recommend it.
I like that this book is sectioned in segments. It literally makes the reading fly by and the reading never felt cumbersome or long. I literally enjoyed every moment I spent reading Kelland.
The plot led me in directions I never expected and I'll have to stop there so as not to ruin anything for future readers. Suffice it to say that this is a great read and I highly recommend it.
September 27, 2009
I liked the way Bens started this novel where we are introduced to 3 families who doesn't know each other and slowly throughout the book we discover how they are all connected through tragedy.
When you start reading it is very hard not to finish.......you want to know what happened, I really felt like screaming when I figured it out!
When you start reading it is very hard not to finish.......you want to know what happened, I really felt like screaming when I figured it out!
September 9, 2016
Not horror. A story of human tragedy and loss of innocence. The pieces came together much too soon for me and honestly left me a bit...IDK, hoping for more than what it was. But still a very well crafted story.
Recommended.
Recommended.
September 15, 2009
#4 in Contemporary Fiction Rainbow Award 2009, Editor's Choice Small Press Black Quill Award 2009
March 23, 2015
I can't even begin to express how utterly horrified I was reading the last fifty or so pages of the novel. Once of the pieces of the puzzle began to come together, I could feel my hands shaking as I turned the pages.
All in all, this was a superb story with a haunting ending, and I commend Bens Jr. for doing such an amazing job with such rich and extraordinary characters. The grim atmosphere, the creeping sense of realization, the final solution- all wrapped up and packed with such a punch that I can still feel it in my gut. Great fucking piece of literature.
All in all, this was a superb story with a haunting ending, and I commend Bens Jr. for doing such an amazing job with such rich and extraordinary characters. The grim atmosphere, the creeping sense of realization, the final solution- all wrapped up and packed with such a punch that I can still feel it in my gut. Great fucking piece of literature.
October 3, 2016
The first things I ever read by Paul G. Bens Jr. were his short stories. If you're familiar with those, you know he doesn't disappoint.
So I picked up "Kelland," a book of quick chapters told from the viewpoints of a wonderfully varied cast of characters, and finished it in three sittings (and I'm generally a take-my-time kind of reader). As soon as I finished a section about Toan, I got caught up in what's happening with George, or Minh, or Melanie, or Lucas. Then by the time Toan showed up again I couldn't wait to hear more. It's conflict on shuffle.
The whole book strides along at a nice tempo, never leaving you hanging longer than it should. The majority of it is chronological, so it doesn't get confusing either. Though I did find myself turning back to certain passages every now and then, picking up details that at a glance were just interesting little tidbits but that helped me later to complete the puzzle as the story unfolded.
This vignette style also keeps the scenery fresh, taking you from wartime Vietnam to rural Kentucky, or San Francisco, or the seediest parts of Los Angeles. The characters, coming from all different walks of life yet intertwining bit by bit as the mysterious Kelland breaks into their lives, are incredibly well developed. Perhaps it's that juxtaposition against the 'supernatural' presence of Kelland that lends the characters such stark realism.
Like with a Stephen King novel the writing in "Kelland" has a colloquial feel that can be both sweet and sickening when it needs to be, and never intrusive. In terms of voice and dark and dreamy atmosphere, I'm reminded of early Poppy Z. Brite, and as far as theme and edginess, I'd recommend it to fans of Ian McEwan as well.
So I picked up "Kelland," a book of quick chapters told from the viewpoints of a wonderfully varied cast of characters, and finished it in three sittings (and I'm generally a take-my-time kind of reader). As soon as I finished a section about Toan, I got caught up in what's happening with George, or Minh, or Melanie, or Lucas. Then by the time Toan showed up again I couldn't wait to hear more. It's conflict on shuffle.
The whole book strides along at a nice tempo, never leaving you hanging longer than it should. The majority of it is chronological, so it doesn't get confusing either. Though I did find myself turning back to certain passages every now and then, picking up details that at a glance were just interesting little tidbits but that helped me later to complete the puzzle as the story unfolded.
This vignette style also keeps the scenery fresh, taking you from wartime Vietnam to rural Kentucky, or San Francisco, or the seediest parts of Los Angeles. The characters, coming from all different walks of life yet intertwining bit by bit as the mysterious Kelland breaks into their lives, are incredibly well developed. Perhaps it's that juxtaposition against the 'supernatural' presence of Kelland that lends the characters such stark realism.
Like with a Stephen King novel the writing in "Kelland" has a colloquial feel that can be both sweet and sickening when it needs to be, and never intrusive. In terms of voice and dark and dreamy atmosphere, I'm reminded of early Poppy Z. Brite, and as far as theme and edginess, I'd recommend it to fans of Ian McEwan as well.
April 24, 2024
I'm not sure what I read or what I'm supposed to feel.I'm not even sure what genre this book is; most places seem to call it horror, but that doesn't fully fit. There were some interesting scenes involving some of the characters, but even though each chapter is clearly headed with a character and date it still got confusing trying to relate the characters to each other and to Kelland. The ending did try to resolve some of that, and while it did the book for me was as much an enigma as the entity of Kelland itself.
September 9, 2015
Kelland is a disturbing book, one that won't leave you indifferent. It touches a very delicate topic, one that is hidden at the beginning, is subtly hinted in the middle and is delicately explored at the end, when everything comes together and you finally see how the different stories are in fact the same one.
The five main characters are very well depicted: Minh, the man who has everything but is slowly losing all that really matters, Toan, his little brother, who loves everyone except himself; George, the little one and the brave one; Melanie, whose heart is broken but has the courage to find out why, and Lucas, the gone one, the tragic one.
The book is easy to read, although at the beginning the quick moves from one character to the other and the time changes can be confusing. But if you don't worry too much about it little by little it becomes easier to place every scene in its place and get into the flow of the story.
I enjoyed this book despite its sad atmosphere, and it made me think a lot about how much we really know ourselves and our close ones, and the effort we are willing to put into understanding them and caring for them. Surprisingly for me, the part that I liked the least is in fact Kelland. I think this character adds an exotic touch to the novel and some mystery, but that the story could be perfectly written without it. It's an original perspective but, as I see it, it puts the will of change out of the characters and it diminishes the force of the message in some way.
Also, a curiosity... Why Toan is never called Richard in the chapters' titles? When he is addressed by others in dialogues he is always Richard, but when the narrator talks about him or in the titles he is always Toan. Does this have any significance? Is the author trying to say he is so compliant that he even changes his identity to adapt to others, the same way he does about other things?
Note: This is not a romantic m/m novel, although LGBT topics appear frequently.
The five main characters are very well depicted: Minh, the man who has everything but is slowly losing all that really matters, Toan, his little brother, who loves everyone except himself; George, the little one and the brave one; Melanie, whose heart is broken but has the courage to find out why, and Lucas, the gone one, the tragic one.
The book is easy to read, although at the beginning the quick moves from one character to the other and the time changes can be confusing. But if you don't worry too much about it little by little it becomes easier to place every scene in its place and get into the flow of the story.
I enjoyed this book despite its sad atmosphere, and it made me think a lot about how much we really know ourselves and our close ones, and the effort we are willing to put into understanding them and caring for them. Surprisingly for me, the part that I liked the least is in fact Kelland. I think this character adds an exotic touch to the novel and some mystery, but that the story could be perfectly written without it. It's an original perspective but, as I see it, it puts the will of change out of the characters and it diminishes the force of the message in some way.
Also, a curiosity... Why Toan is never called Richard in the chapters' titles? When he is addressed by others in dialogues he is always Richard, but when the narrator talks about him or in the titles he is always Toan. Does this have any significance? Is the author trying to say he is so compliant that he even changes his identity to adapt to others, the same way he does about other things?
Note: This is not a romantic m/m novel, although LGBT topics appear frequently.
October 11, 2009
No light snack, 'Kelland' is a novel you can sink your teeth into, chew on for a good while, and still have more for later. This is good news, since its dark, mysterious, smoky flavor is worth savoring.
Bens introduces us to a collection of disparate characters. Led by his confident, unobtrusive prose, we follow their stories, seeking a reason for bringing this seemingly random grab-bag of people and events together.
The key to the mystery is Kelland, a protean being who appears in each character’s life in some unexpected way. As various strands of narrative are pulled artfully together, the story reaches a climax in which a violent act expresses the grief and rage and guilt of these characters, and brings a different outcome to each.
It is up to the reader, finally, to decide who or what Kelland is. Nemesis? Agent of change? Fate personified? It says a lot for this novel that it leaves us with questions that are well worth pondering.
'Kelland' did contain some disappointments for me. A few scenes had a perfunctory feel, as if the author were rushing to establish some plot points and move on. And I ached for Lucas, a 15-year-old, to show some trace of personality in his online journal, which is quoted numerous times. I would have loved to come away from the book with a sense of Lucas as a memorable character.
The most developed character in the book is Toan, a Vietnamese immigrant with a difficult past and uncertain future. A gay man and a musician, his life is going about as well as can be expected when more misfortune strikes.
Toan works and lives in a Hollywood neighborhood that is rich in detail and atmosphere; If the novel consisted solely of his story, it would be well worth reading. We’re lucky that Bens gives us more—much more—in this generous and ambitious book.
Bens introduces us to a collection of disparate characters. Led by his confident, unobtrusive prose, we follow their stories, seeking a reason for bringing this seemingly random grab-bag of people and events together.
The key to the mystery is Kelland, a protean being who appears in each character’s life in some unexpected way. As various strands of narrative are pulled artfully together, the story reaches a climax in which a violent act expresses the grief and rage and guilt of these characters, and brings a different outcome to each.
It is up to the reader, finally, to decide who or what Kelland is. Nemesis? Agent of change? Fate personified? It says a lot for this novel that it leaves us with questions that are well worth pondering.
'Kelland' did contain some disappointments for me. A few scenes had a perfunctory feel, as if the author were rushing to establish some plot points and move on. And I ached for Lucas, a 15-year-old, to show some trace of personality in his online journal, which is quoted numerous times. I would have loved to come away from the book with a sense of Lucas as a memorable character.
The most developed character in the book is Toan, a Vietnamese immigrant with a difficult past and uncertain future. A gay man and a musician, his life is going about as well as can be expected when more misfortune strikes.
Toan works and lives in a Hollywood neighborhood that is rich in detail and atmosphere; If the novel consisted solely of his story, it would be well worth reading. We’re lucky that Bens gives us more—much more—in this generous and ambitious book.
December 4, 2011
I have had the fortune of reading Paul G. Bens Jr.’s shorter work and anticipated reading his first novel. Kelland is a multi-person narrative with five interlaced storylines which reveal the secrets of his richly drawn characters, secrets that they hide even from themselves. Linking the stories across time and space is an apparition, Kelland, who appears to each person in the guise that they most desire, making them more susceptible to his influence: priest, boyfriend, lover, angel. This entity, like an undisciplined therapist, gets them to hit rock bottom in order to discover their inner-truths and unearth the lies from their past with some violent and rewarding results.
I was most drawn to the complex relationship between estranged brothers Minh and Toan, refugees from Saigon, whose avoidance of the past has led both men astray. Their relationship, along with the other storylines, is revealed in a nonlinear format that allows the reader to discover their pasts along with the characters, giving us several mysteries to solve. I especially enjoyed rocker Toan, an atypical gay character, who struts his mess-up self through various stages of his music career.
The novel has a sci-fi slant, which it has been marketed on, but it is a well-written drama that touches on the lives of five different people, and some very sensitive and relevant topics. A worthwhile read.
I was most drawn to the complex relationship between estranged brothers Minh and Toan, refugees from Saigon, whose avoidance of the past has led both men astray. Their relationship, along with the other storylines, is revealed in a nonlinear format that allows the reader to discover their pasts along with the characters, giving us several mysteries to solve. I especially enjoyed rocker Toan, an atypical gay character, who struts his mess-up self through various stages of his music career.
The novel has a sci-fi slant, which it has been marketed on, but it is a well-written drama that touches on the lives of five different people, and some very sensitive and relevant topics. A worthwhile read.
August 31, 2009
Minh and Toan are a couple of young Vietnamese refugee brothers who are brought to America after the fall of Saigon. Melanie is a young mother who grieves the death of her son, Lucas. Lucas is her son, who committed suicide. George is a young boy who is obsessed with the church and God. All are connected by a mysterious person who appears to each in a different guise, and by Father Anthony Swinton, a Catholic priest. The book's chapters jump between characters and time, with the intention, I'm sure of having each of the characters' stories reach its climax at the same time. I had trouble trying to keep up with when the current chapter I was reading took place, and I finally gave up and just read from chapter to chapter, and the book flowed smoothly from there. Kelland, as I mentioned, is a mysterious person who appears differently to each of the other characters. A sexy woman to one, a gay man to another, a priest to a third, and a young African-American boy to the last. In each case, Kelland's purpose is to get them to face up to something in their past which serves as a barrier to their wholeness. In each case, Father Anthony plays a part. Very interesting reading.
January 6, 2010
I was lucky enough to receive this through Goodreads First Reads and really happy that I read this amazing book.
The novel consists of interwoven stories of people coping with some sort of tragedy or self-discovery.
The book jumps from character to character, in various points of their lives, and the chapters feel like jigsaw pieces that come together as a big puzzle in the end.
This is the kind of book that, when read the second time, you discover a lot of things that you may have missed the first time you read it.
I LOVE, LOVE the characters in here, they're all so interesting and you can really sympathise with what they're going through. I would have like to read more about them and feel that they each deserved a novel of their own.
I'm glad to have read this book, despite the dark themes it contains.
The novel consists of interwoven stories of people coping with some sort of tragedy or self-discovery.
The book jumps from character to character, in various points of their lives, and the chapters feel like jigsaw pieces that come together as a big puzzle in the end.
This is the kind of book that, when read the second time, you discover a lot of things that you may have missed the first time you read it.
I LOVE, LOVE the characters in here, they're all so interesting and you can really sympathise with what they're going through. I would have like to read more about them and feel that they each deserved a novel of their own.
I'm glad to have read this book, despite the dark themes it contains.
December 29, 2014
Quick personal story: I first heard about this book when it came out around 2009. The instant that I read the synopsis, I knew that I needed to have it. It had everything that appealed to me. More importantly, it was not straight horror, but more of a twisted fantasy, which is what really called to me. So I put the book on every birthday/christmas list for 5 years. I waited very patiently, but no one could find it.
Fast forward 5 years, and this new (and might I add beautiful!) edition of Kelland is released. This time, I knew I couldn't wait for someone to buy it for me. I needed to make my own destiny. It also helps that now I am much older and have my own source of income.
This book did not disappoint. It was beautiful and sad. Fantastically twisted, yet wonderfully heartfelt.
All in all, it was worth the 5 years.
Fast forward 5 years, and this new (and might I add beautiful!) edition of Kelland is released. This time, I knew I couldn't wait for someone to buy it for me. I needed to make my own destiny. It also helps that now I am much older and have my own source of income.
This book did not disappoint. It was beautiful and sad. Fantastically twisted, yet wonderfully heartfelt.
All in all, it was worth the 5 years.
July 11, 2011
My first thought when I finished this amazing story was: Is this guy (Paul G. Benz, Jr.) for real? He did not waste one word. Kelland is by far one of the best books I have ever read.
Hope, fear, desperation, vulnerability, vengeance, forgiveness and love. Kelland compels the reader to contemplate everything but the dishes in the sink and the possible ring in the toilet bowl. Trust me, life’s trivialities will take a backseat while reading this story.
Ann Somerville's review sold me on the book.
Very highly recommended.
Hope, fear, desperation, vulnerability, vengeance, forgiveness and love. Kelland compels the reader to contemplate everything but the dishes in the sink and the possible ring in the toilet bowl. Trust me, life’s trivialities will take a backseat while reading this story.
Ann Somerville's review sold me on the book.
Very highly recommended.
January 16, 2014
Kelland is told through the viewpoint of five very different people and I found myself caring about each of them. When one chapter ended I'd be sorry and want to jump ahead to continue the narrative, until I read THAT character's story and feel the same way. With this press, I read the book in almost one sitting. A dark but moving tale.
March 23, 2012
This is one of those books that is truly interesting and you keep thinking about it after you put it down. But, although well written, the topic is meant to make you uncomfortable an it does-too much for me to rate it higher.
April 14, 2010
Very heartfelt and emotional book. I was intrigued by all the characters in the book and compelled forward to find out their deep dark secrets. Great read, thanks Paul!
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