The Caretaker of Lorne Field

a fabulous amusing tale

Like eight generations of first sons of ancestors before him, Jack Durkin works weed control at Lorne Field. His job sounds mundane, but is actually dangerous. He and his ancestors remove the feral blood sucking Aukowies plants that could take over the entire globe in a few weeks if removal is neglected.

Jack works diligently, but the next in line, his oldest son Lester, believes his father is a crackpot and refuses to do the job when it is his turn. He has his mom Lydia's support as she is tired of the family living impoverished on a caretaker salary while also seeing her oldest offspring as her ticket (and that of Jack) out of the caretaking drudgery. Even the townsfolk who have paid the Durkin salary for nine generations balk at a threat no one has seen; mostly because Jack takes care of business before the Aukowies can bloom. Feeling increasingly alone, Jack believes it is time to prove his worth, but the only way he can do so is let the plants bloom.

The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a fabulous amusing tale that grips the reader with a need to know whether the monster is real, a centuries old con, or generational lunacy. Jack is great as he believes, but is caught in the dilemma of his only proof is to let the Aukowies run wild. Dave Zeltserman is at his zany, dark yet in an odd way profound thriller.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A classic story.

Jack Durkin would love to quit his job, but that's not possible. It's not the money; the money is lousy and he could do better. It's not that he has a rotten boss. He's basically his own boss, although his hours and duties are clearly outlined in his employment contract. No, Jack can't quit his job because if he does, life on this planet will end. So Jack works hard every day, saving the world. What this superhero does is pull the weeds in Lorne Field. Everyday, from can-see to can't. Well, those weeds aren't really weeds, they just disguise themselves as weeds. They're really a nasty, bloodthirsty bunch of monsters called Aukowies, that must be pulled from the ground and burned every day. Left unchecked, they would grow so fast, become so unstoppable, they would destroy the world in a matter of weeks. So Jack pulls the weeds and burns them. Jack is the ninth generation of Durkins to work this field. That's roughly 300 years the Durkins have been saving the world on a daily basis. And people used to revere Jack's family; they took care of the Durkins and paid them well. People used to understand that the Durkins gave up most of life's pleasures so that we could all stay alive. Used to. Nowadays everyone thinks Jack is just a crazy man. Including his wife, a woman worn beyond her years, a woman who wears her bitterness with a kind of twisted pride. Though misunderstood, ridiculed, and persecuted, the gentle Jack lets nothing sway him from the job. And then one day, his wife decides that the contract must be broken, setting in motion a wheel of tragedy and horror. I read several reviews of The Caretaker of Lorne Field, wanting to see if other readers had a similar experience with this book as I did. It quickly became clear to me that this is a book no two people will see in exactly the same way. Some reviewers saw it as strictly a horror story. Several reviewers called the book "darkly funny" or thought it a mix of horror and humor. I found this story layered with dread and unease, and not funny at all. Mostly I found it sad and poignant, an expose of just how callous and mean we are. Not "society," not "people." Us. That's how on-target are the characters in this book, how very ordinary they are in their selfishness, in their reliance on conformity, and their intolerance of whoever and whatever does not conform. Some reviewers thought there were underlying parallels to fascist politics, either modern or historical. I saw religious parallels, a morality play. Jack Durkin is in many ways subjected to the physical and emotional hammerings as Job of the Old Testament. Like Job, Jack endures but at enormous cost to himself and to those he loves. And in some ways, Jack is a Christ-like figure: Every weed Jack pulls is a sin forgiven, and sins must be forgiven because otherwise, the wages of sin are death. Like Christ, Jack intercedes, again at great personal cost and risk, to save an ungrateful humanity. Jack is persecuted and arrested for crimes he has not committed. Or has he? Is Jack really just a (pardon the pun) garden-variety maniac? Is he the kind of lunatic who would cut off his son's thumb to prove the existence of creatures who really only exist in his mind? Is Jack so deeply obsessed, so much a monster himself that he would murder to protect his delusions? Or was it the Aukowies who committed these crimes? Are they smart enough to know just how best to weaken their enemy? The autho

Wow! That's all I can say is "Wow"!

My boychild told me to get this book. It's a really fast read, and have I mentioned..."Wow"...

Brilliant book--Take the time to read it.

Dave Zeltserman has transformed a basic parable about monsters into a cautionary tale about the power and limitations of faith. A simple man fulfills a contract handed down from generation to generation. As his family, friends, and health betray him, he is left alone to face a crushing burden--the preservation of the entire human race. The Caretaker of Lorne Field offers a brilliant and timeless allegory about how each of us addresses the values and beliefs that guide our lives and the repercussions that we face if we stray from our appointed path.

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