The Book of Abel

About the Book

There is something about West Virginia that serves as a magnet. Once you’ve lived there, you fi nd yourself magically drawn back to its hills and hollers. Ask John Able Adams, he should know. Brought up in one of those little honky-tonks that line the S-curves of good old Wild and Wonderful, his first impulse was to escape. Yet despite two tours of duty in the Marines and a decade long hitch in South Florida, he’s back, trying to make sense of a world that seems bent on spiraling out of control.

Like a shipwrecked sailor, he ends up on the couch of Mack and Lonnie Krappe, two aging hill-hippies that have been kind enough to take him in for the summer. His official title is hired help, but he spends a lot of time on the job daydreaming about Jane, the Krappes’ youngest daughter.

The summer interlude is good for John. By its end, he has even established a focus and heads back to Florida in pursuit of his new dream. However dreams have a way of turning into nightmares, and it isn’t long before John wishes that he’d never left the sanctuary of the Krappes’ couch.

This is his story. It is a play on words, just as his life is a play on opposites: Zen vs. bum . . . nature vs. nurture . . . fear vs. love. It’s all explored in depth as John returns to his roots in a struggle to fulfill The Book of Able.

About the Author

Like the author of this book, Daniel Rose lives in a small town in rural West Virginia. Those of you who have experienced small towns will understand why he prefers to remain anonymous.