Skull Session - Softcover

Hecht, Daniel

3.59

980 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451195922 ISBN 13: 9780451195920

Publisher: Signet, 1998

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Desperate to claim custody of his son, a young man hampered by his Tourette's syndrome searches for a job, but when an eccentric aunt offers him work, he must confront his family's frightening past before moving forward with his own life. Reprint.

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Review:

Guitarist Daniel Hecht sold a lot of albums in the 1970s and '80s: his Willow on the Windham Hill label might be sitting in your closet. But in 1989 a hand ailment turned Hecht's talents to writing, and the first published result is as dazzling and moving as his music. In this novel, gifted Vermont woodworker Paul Skoglund has learned to live with and basically control his Tourette's syndrome, thanks to early training from his caring father and daily doses of haloperidol. But the drug has also burned away the once-sharp edge of his creativity, and Paul has been having a hard time earning a living. So when his eccentric Aunt Vivien offers him a job restoring her old house in Lewisboro, New York, Skoglund is glad to accept--even though it will take him away from his 8-year-old son, Mark, who suffers from neurological troubles of his own. It turns out that the house has been savaged by vandals who are apparently linked to several local teenagers who have disappeared in recent months. While state police investigator Morgan Ford pursues the mystery in an official way, Paul and his fearless lover Lia discover that the damage to the house is of unnatural--possibly even demonic--origins. Hecht balances these diverse elements with impressive artistry, all the while making us care for the fate of his characters.

About the Author:

Daniel Hecht spent fifteen years as a guitarist and recording artist and is best known for his album Willow on Windham Hill Records. He had performed twice at Carnegie Hall and received an M.F.A. in Writing from the Iowa Writers Workshop and now writes from his home in Vermont. This is his frist novel.

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