Will's Surreal Period: A Novel

by Robert Steven Goldstein

Overview

A novel about a family even more dysfunctional than the one you grew up in.   

Will’s Surreal Period is a richly satisfying tale—at times laugh-out-loud hilarious and at times deeply moving—that features a rollickingly dysfunctional family, a seemingly endless array of succulent foodstuffs, and a brain tumor that transforms a mediocre painter into a virtuoso. Now toss in a smidgen of BDSM and a few beguiling tidbits exploring brain chemistry and human evolution, and you have a story that will hook you fast and captivate you till the end.   

“Will’s Surreal Period proves why works of fiction are high art. . . . Robert Steven Goldstein deftly converts our raw human foibles into emotive entertainment and, as he does, reminds us, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously, who we are.” 

—MICHAEL J. COFFINO, award-winning author of Truth Is in the House

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684631438
Publisher:	SparkPress
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Robert Steven Goldstein retired from his job as a healthcare information executive at age fifty-six and has been writing novels ever since. His first novel, The Swami Deheftner, about problems that ensue when ancient magic and mysticism manifest in the twenty-first century, has developed a small cult following in India. His second novel, Enemy Queen, an erotic thriller set in a North Carolina college town, was published in 2020, and was a finalist in the category of cross genre fiction for the International Book Awards. His third novel, Cat’s Whisker, published in 2021, probes the perceived rift between science and spirituality; an excerpt from Cat’s Whisker, entitled “An Old Dog,” was featured in the fall 2018 edition of the literary journal Leaping Clear. Will's Surreal Period is his fourth novel. Robert lives in San Francisco with Sandy, his wife of thirty-three years, and Cali, a fearless, lovable Akita/cattle dog. Robert has practiced yoga, meditation, and vegetarianism for more than fifty years.

Editorial Reviews

Will’s Surreal Period is a novel in which two brothers work to discover what might give them a true sense of purpose in their lives.”

—Foreword Reviews

“Goldstein’s prose is crisp and smooth, particularly in his descriptions of William’s art and artistic process . . . . an engaging work about the tension between artistic pursuits and the demands of marriage and family.”

 —Kirkus Reviews

“Robert Steven Goldstein, takes inspiration from his own dysfunctional family in his forthcoming novel, Will’s Surreal Period, to examine the intersections of familial bonds, art, and spirituality. Through a story that unflinchingly explores the most intrinsic human desires, Goldstein cracks open the internal struggles of a family divided.”

—The Book Bag 

“This is a conventional story of redemption in many ways, although Goldstein inserts several other themes to liven up the text. The conflicts presented in the novel are intriguing"...offers many different characters who will be relatable to a wide audience.”

—Booklife Critics

“With snappy dialog and a fast-paced storyline, this is a perfect beach read . . . . Will’s Surreal Period offers a good dose of humor while exploring the antics of a dysfunctional family amidst a backdrop of food, drinks, and fine art.”

—Novels Alive 

 “At times hilarious and at times deeply moving, Will’s Surreal Period is a richly satisfying novel, featuring a rollickingly dysfunctional family, a seemingly endless array of succulent foodstuffs, and a brain tumor that transforms a mediocre painter into a virtuoso. The book’s characters are alluring, its ideas are seductive, and its plot is irresistible—this is a story that will hook you fast and captivate you till the end.”

—Ken Jakobs, librettist, director, and producer of opera in the San Francisco Bay Area

“Families—can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Will’s Surreal Period delves into the personal agendas that undermine, glue, and motivate families. Robert Steven Goldstein deftly explores the subtle yet combustible mix. Which will prevail: manipulation, serendipity, self-preservation, or a modicum of love?”

—Michael Miller, retired professor and author of the forthcoming High Bridge

“What a wonderful read! It’s a fascinating premise that proves a beautiful canvas for musings on creativity, sexual politics, and food. It makes you want to drop what you’re doing and listen more closely to what the universe is trying to tell you. And even if you took everything out of the novel other than the descriptions of food and drink, you’d still have a tremendous read—in fact, after finishing Will’s Surreal Period, all I wanted to do was cook!”

—Glenn German, screenwriter and producer of films including At Middleton and Racing for Time

“A Jiu-Jitsu master of literary plotting, Robert Steven Goldstein flips the script on a dysfunctional family comprised of two emasculated adult sons and their cantankerous wealthy father, who, with petulant vagary, reallocates their respective inheritances at the fulcrum of his paternal control. Marvel and chuckle as these fraught men each succumb to the grace of separate lovers, the serendipity of which amalgamates into a late-in-life chance to rebind the strands of their frayed familial relationships.”

—Michael Rose, author of The Sorting Room

“Will’s Surreal Period proves why works of fiction are high art, hitching us to a wild ride with an ensemble of engaging and eccentric characters brought together by a maladjusted family—some we may love and others we may scorn—but all seductively propel us into their psyches. Robert Steven Goldstein deftly converts our raw human foibles into emotive entertainment and, as he does, reminds us, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously, who we are.”

—Michael J. Coffino, award winning author of Truth Is in the House

“The ups and downs of dysfunctional family life are on full, fascinating display in Robert Steven Goldstein's well-imagined novel, Will's Surreal Period. Full of twists, turns, and the familiar boorish behavior that we seem to reserve specially for family, follow protagonist Will Wozniak as he grapples with a brain tumor, infidelity, and an unexpected career shift, a journey that is at times both hilarious and deeply poignant. Strap in for a ripping good ride with this entertaining read.”

—Madeleine Jones, author of the forthcoming novel The Witchhammer

“Will's Surreal Period is a witty, engaging romp. Cantankerous Arthur Wozniak wants to control his adult sons who are each struggling to find their place in the world. Hidden passions ignite, suppressed talents emerge, and the Wozniaks reluctantly evolve into the family they were meant to be.”

—Carla Damron, author of the forthcoming novel The Orchid Tattoo, The Stone Necklace (winner of the WFWA Star award) and the Caleb Knowles mystery series

“In a sly take on Ovid’s Metamorphosis, Will, a mediocre painter, suffers a brain tumour that transmogrifies him into an uninhibited creative genius. His quarrelsome family members are deftly portrayed with considerable literary merit. There is an unerring eye for multi-ethnic mores (especially involving food) and American material culture, as well as a strong sense of time and locality. A well-crafted and provocative read.”

—David Jenkins, Formerly Professor of Arts Education, University of Warwick, UK, and author of the satirical chess-themed novel Spurious Games




Past Praise for the author:


For Enemy Queen: 

 “Each paragraph of the story is as unpredictably peculiar as the next—the plot is a tantalizingly original puzzle, dramatically gripping, erotically electric, and satisfyingly weird. A hilarious dark comedy that explores the nature of friendship through the lens of sexual licentiousness.” 

—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher