Community Corner
Montclair Author Michael Laser Publishes Third Novel for Adults
It's the morning of the SAT. Will Westfield's mother opens his bedroom door and finds his bed still made and empty, his muddy sneakers on the floor...
Montclair author Michael Laser’s third novel for adults suspensefully records one family’s disaster, and explores the dark corners of suburbia through the eyes of Will and his traumatized parents.
The Description
It’s the morning of the SAT. Will Westfield’s mother opens his bedroom door and finds his bed still made and empty, his muddy sneakers on the floor. Did this seemingly well-adjusted teenager run off with his depressed ex-girlfriend, get in trouble with the neighborhood drug dealer, or just flee the pressure of his parents’ expectations?
As his mother and father frantically search for him, the events leading up to Will’s disappearance shed light on the decisions he made and the choices that remain.
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An Excerpt
She taps on his door with one nail: “It’s that time.”No springs squeak, no sheets rustle. Knocking with her knuckles, “Your muffin and apple are waiting downstairs.”
Because Will has to take the SAT in an hour, she violates his privacy by opening the door, just an inch. Soft, unexpected light greets her. The bed is made, the blinds are raised, and the gray corduroys he wore last night straddle the back of his desk chair. Dried mud streaks the pants; his sneakers, also muddy, lie on their sides next to the stacked CDs, just beyond the tassels of the rug.
Her first thought is that the innocent explanations will prove wrong. He didn’t just wake up early and go out for coffee. She knows this because he has never made his bed without prompting, not once in his life. No, this bed wasn’t slept in last night. Read more.
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The Author
Michael Laser writes novels for adults and young readers. His books for adolescents include 6-321, Cheater, and The Watermelon; his novels for adults include Old Buddy Old Pal and Dark & Light: A Love Story.
He is also the author of The Rain, a children’s picture book. He has published widely in literary magazines, including The Massachusetts Review and New England Review.
He has also published essays and articles in the New York Times, Salon.com, the Los Angeles Times, and other periodicals.
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