George Willett, the lonely complex, yet oddly empathetic protagonist of John Neufeld’s recent novel April Fool, seems to have one compelling obsession, the desire to have one last fling before he kicks the bucket. Although he claims to love his wife Peg, he never considers leaving her. All he ever wanted was one final romantic fling, “an attachment that would last as long as summer sunsets on inland waters.”
George is a political campaign consultant and he and his wife Peg live in a small town in Litchfield County, Connecticut. From all outside appearances they look like the perfect couple. However, all is not as what it appears as George and Peg seem to be going through the motions of marriage with little intimacy.
Described as a “fairly successful, and successful ordinary fellow, George missed being ‘dashing’ only by the narrowest of margins.”He suffers from irregular heartbeats or arrhythmia and as a result he frequently visits his local hospital for reassurance that he is not about to die.
George has a few secrets and one is that if he should die his wife will find out what Internet sites he has been visiting, for what purposes and what assignations have been arranged, as well as the contents of his emails.
When George meets Valerie through the Internet he believes that this is his last chance and only shot at finding romance. To George it is “companionship that was composed of wit and sex, of honesty and laughter”-something he felt lacking in his own marriage.
Encouraged by Valerie, the couple carry on an intense sexy email romance. In fact, George is so desperate to have Valerie that no one would believe what devious act he was planning for his wife Peg.
Neufeld’s enormous talent is his ability to disturb, amuse, and delight without ever becoming too philosophical or inept. In addition, he displays a strong grasp of the complexities of human character as they relate to marital relationships and middle age.
And when you lightly scratch the surface, you realize that the theme of April Fool is a novel of profound reality that reflects the state of many of today’s empty marriages where couples stoop to seeking out destructive solutions to satisfy their selfish needs rather than working out their difficulties.
April Fool is everything you would expect from an author who has been included twice in The Sunday New York Times’ Best Books of the Year.
To read Norm's Interview With John Neufeld CLICK HERE
The above review was contributed by: The Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com, Norm Goldman, B.A. LL.L, Retired Title Attorney: Norm is also a travel writer and together with his artist wife, Lily, the couple meld Norm's words with Lily's art. To check out their travel site click on Sketchandtravel.comClick here to view Norm’s Reviews & Interviews.
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Reviewer: N. Goldman
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