A Map of the Dark

by John Dixon

Overview

It's Halloween night, 1963, in De Pere, Wisconsin. Local children dressed as ghosts, vampires, and hoboes chase one another on and off porches and through the streets, hunting for Dum Dums, Slo Pokes, and thrills. Meanwhile their parents fill the local bars, joking and fighting, bobbing for apples, and dancing to the jukebox. But all is not well. Evelyn Schmidt's life is almost at an end; she's been diagnosed with cancer and given only days to live. She'll be damned if she'll go quietly, though, in the hospital or at home. She's heading for the Idle Hour to drink up a storm, whether her fellow drinkers want her there or not. Steve Omsted is only sixteen, but it seems to him his life might as well be over. He's on academic probation, he's been kicked off the football team, and now his girlfriend has dropped him. He's looking for an easy target for his rage and has set up a nighttime ambush for his victim. Chuck Williams feels like his life hasn't even started yet, but he can't wait any longer. He'll go trick-or-treating, but he doesn't want to end up waxing windows with the other fifth-graders; he's aiming to hang out with the older kids and cause some real trouble. As the evening unfolds, the paths of these and other characters converge in a series of shocking events that will change the lives of all involved. In stark language and with bold, cinematic vision, John Dixon delivers a stunning portrait of a small town at war with itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781891241215
Publisher:	Verse Chorus Press
Publication date:	10/03/2005
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Novelist and playwright John Dixon was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, in 1952. He lived in San Francisco, California, for many years, where he worked at American Conservatory Theatre. After being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's Disease, he moved back to his home town, where he began work on a series of novels set in De Pere. "A Map of the Dark" was the first of a planned seven books and was published in 2005. John Dixon died in 2007.

Novelist and playwright John Dixon was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, in 1952. He lived in San Francisco, California, for many years, where he worked at American Conservatory Theatre. After being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's Disease, he moved back to his home town, where he began work on a series of novels set in De Pere. "A Map of the Dark" was the first of a planned seven books and was published in 2005. John Dixon died in 2007.

Editorial Reviews

A small Wisconsin town explodes one Halloween night in a domino effect of violence that leaves no one untouched. Recalling the work of fellow Midwesterner Sinclair Lewis in its stark portrayal of social hierarchies and the lengths to which people will go in order to fit in . . . In this debut novel, adults are mean, but little boys are meaner.

From the Publisher

A small Wisconsin town explodes one Halloween night in a domino effect of violence that leaves no one untouched. Recalling the work of fellow Midwesterner Sinclair Lewis in its stark portrayal of social hierarchies and the lengths to which people will go in order to fit in, playwright Dixon deviates from his predecessor by eschewing all description of the inner workings of his characters. He focuses instead on their actions, only hinting at the inner turmoil that presumably motivates them. The events of Halloween 1963, in De Pere, Wisc. (the author's hometown), are delivered in minimalist prose, reading like a catalogue of masochism. The ensemble cast includes a number of misfits, each of whom takes out personal suffering on others. Chuck wants to hang out with the older boys, who treat him viciously. He follows their lead and bullies his younger friend, Dale. Dale turns on his friend Little Lee, who occupies an even lower social caste. Little Lee, accordingly, beats up David, the son of a cancer sufferer and the true pariah in all this nastiness. David's mom Evelyn, who just received her diagnosis, lurks as the specter of death at the center of the story, going on a massive bender and abusing her fellow drinkers, all of whom are terrified of her. The existential, misanthropic point of it all comes off as hollow. There is nothing to balance the unmitigated cruelty and self-interest exhibited by virtually every inhabitant of De Pere. In this debut novel, adults are mean, but little boys are meaner.

Kirkus Reviews