Today it's my turn on the BlogTour My Travels with a Dead Man by Steve Searls.
Steve Searls retired from the practice of law in 2002 due to a rare chronic autoimmune disorder (Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Cell Associated Periodic Syndrome). He began writing poetry in 2001 and, using the pseudonym, Tara Birch, was the featured poet of Tryst Poetry Journal’s Premiere Issue.
He’s also published numerous poems as Tara Birch in print and online, including the poetry chapbook, Carrots and Bleu Cheese Dip, in 2004. Steve was also active as a blogger posting under the name, Steven D, at Daily Kos (2005-2017), Booman Tribune (2005-2017) and caucus99percent (2016–present). Steve’s published essays on Medium include “Clara’s Miracle,” about his wife’s cancer and resulting traumatic brain injury from chemotherapy, and “My Rape Story.” Raised in Colorado, he now lives with his adult son in Western NY. My Travels With a Dead Man is his first novel.
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About the book
Jane Takako Wolfsheim learns she can alter time and space after meeting a charismatic stranger named Jorge Luis Borges.
Inextricably she falls for Borges. Soon, however Borges’ lies and emotional abuse, and nightmares about a demonic figure, “the man in black,” nearly drive Jane mad. After her parents are murdered, Jane flees with Borges. Both the ghost of haiku master, Basho, and the Daibutsu of Kamakura, a statue of Buddha that appears in her dreams, offer her cryptic advice. Unable to trust anyone, Jane must find the strength to save herself, her unborn child, and possibly the future of humanity.
It all begins with Jane having some kind of seizure one day and being rescued by a stranger. When said stranger comes back into her life after quite a while she think it's coincidence, but he says it was always going to happen. He knew that their paths would cross again.
They take a trip to Japan together, which allegedly never happened, and her parents are suddenly dead. She has no memory of either of them passing.No matter what Jane believes Jorge always contradicts her memories and emotions. It makes her doubt herself.
It's hard to keep track of whether Jane is sane or insane. Is the reader in the middle of her brain injury induced dream world. Is she losing time and suffering from some form of a mental health issue? To be fair I'm not sure even Jane knows the answer to that question.
Are the figures who approach her with wisdom, advice and a way forward a figment of her imagination or her subconscious reaching out to warn her? They seem to think she experienced what she thinks she experienced, and yet the man she loves seems to have taken up gas-lighting as a hobby.
I think the construct of a great premise is there it just gets bogged down by jumps, inconsistencies and superfluous information. It made the read a little Clockwork Orange meets acid trip and fell into a time space continuum, but without the other planets element. It's what I would call speculative fiction, which can go wherever it chooses to go.
Buy My Travels with a Dead Man at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Black Rose Writing; 27 Aug. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at SteveSearls.com. At BlackRoseWriting.
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