Angered by his wife, Robert damages his work |
A HOOK IN THE SKY is a "slice-of-life" novel, the story of a retiree-turned-artist to the dismay of his much younger wife and they fight over art. Robert's tastes run to the academic, Kay is cool and loves contemporary art. What is really at stake is their marriage. When his old mother, a painter of the 1930s School of Paris, comes over to New York to stay with the couple, she has her own say in the matter.
Here's today's excerpt, a dialogue between Robert and his mother just as Robert feels caught between the two women:
"...This is very serious, Robert.
I’m your mother, remember? I can see what’s happening to your marriage. You’re
allowing your wife to convince you that what you do is worthless.”
“Nonsense. Kay’s tastes
are different from yours and mine. That’s all.”
“Oh, but it’s not just a
matter of taste! The problems between you run much deeper than that! I’m an old
woman, I have experience. I see what I see…”
“In that case, just keep
your eyes shut, will you?”
Her eyes widened as if
she wanted to convey something important and didn’t know how. Then she did
something very theatrical. She plunged to the floor, taking hold of his ankle.
Crouching at his feet, she held his leg in both hands. “Now, try walking!” She
said.
“What do you mean?”
“Try walking, I tell you!
Come on, push that leg forward!”
He didn’t try hard, not
wanting to hurt her, but he felt his leg straining against her hands.
“See? You’re slowed down!
You can’t walk. That’s what Kay does to you!”
The next day she flew
back to Paris.
It was a relief to see
her go.
A Hook in the Sky available on Amazon, click here for more details.
Want to see the new book trailer? It's updated with the new book cover (based on my own artwork):
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