The Other Ones: a story of survival in a malevolent world.
Damon's life is wrecked. Reduced to putting one foot in front of the other to continue, he uncharacteristically buys an old farmhouse slated to be torn down. While he has the funds to restore the house, does he possess the wherewithal to fix himself? Brilliant physicist Damon Devereaux struggles to cope with a painful physical disability and an emotionally abusive marriage. At a point of total desperation, he gathers the last of his strength, hastily packs a suitcase, and disappears out the front door. Damon files for divorce from his wife, Bristol, and moves to Greenough Park to be near family. Having inherited money and successful in his career, he resides in a beautiful, luxurious townhouse with all the amenities. But, despite possessing no fundamental skills other than his brilliant intellect, he uncharacteristically purchases a grand old turn-of-the-century farmhouse in the nearby countryside, scheduled for demolition. He hires an unpopular outsider to live on the property and undertake the enormous task of restoring the house. Damon also adopts an unwanted mutt about to be euthanized, all to the puzzlement and chagrin of his family. As he attempts to regain his health and restore the farmhouse, complications arise with the vindictive divorce, problematic coworkers, and opportunistic family members. But despite life’s difficulties, hope springs to life again in tandem with the farmhouse’s slow transformation, as Damon rediscovers reasons to trust and love again in the most unlikely places. The Other Ones is a story about finding the strength to start over. Sometimes even failure requires great courage. But as the old saying goes, you can move, but you have to take yourself with you. Deep under the surface, Damon’s past abuse and emotional neglect build into a tempest that will demand recognition. Throughout the novel, Bristol's character appears in flashbacks of their abusive marriage as Damon struggles to let go of the past. |
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Flashback scene from Damon's marriage in The Other Ones: In this passage, Damon attempts to reason with Lila, his bullheaded workplace subordinate, who reminds him of his soon-to-be ex-wife, Bristol (both of whom he has begun to fear).
“That doesn’t work for me,” Damon replied to Lila as a last resort. After the revitalizing weekend spent outdoors, another contentious week of work had followed at the Institute. Now Lila wanted to weasel out her responsibilities at the last minute and conveniently substitute him in her place. “I never get to spend any time with my family,” she blasted back in response. “It’ll only be for a few hours.” A few hours was all she had. She’d exhausted any bit of vacation, family leave, and personal time the moment any accrued. “I can’t,” he stated flatly. “Maybe get someone else to cover this time.” “I tried,” she said. “There isn’t anyone.” She’d asked one too many times—that was the problem. Lila tinkered with her schedule every single week. He couldn’t recall the last time she’d put in a forty-hour week. Lila was always gone. “I’m sorry, but Dawson and Sterling asked me a half-hour ago to assist them with a problem. I hope you find someone, but if you don’t, you’ll have to come in. All right?” he added, determined to get an answer. Lilia went silent, reminding Damon of another conversation when he attempted to extract the affirmative out of Bristol. “Are you going to return that later this afternoon or not?” Damon had pressed. He felt angry and betrayed yet struggled to hold onto his composure. Bristol had maxed out another credit card with a purchase from Ludwig’s. She refused to reply. “Are you going to return it?” he asked again. “Yis,” she murmured while donning her bullheaded expression. “What?” Damon questioned. “I couldn’t hear you.” “Yis.” “Yis? What does that mean?” She refused to answer and stormed out of the house. A minute later, he heard her car back down the drive. His chest felt heavy, and a feeling of suffocation choked the room. He wondered if “yis,” instead of meaning “yes,” actually meant “hiss.” “All right?” he asked Lila again in exasperation. She shrugged. “I’ll find someone else since you can’t be bothered.” “Good luck with that,” Damon replied, “and have a nice afternoon.” He turned to leave and could feel her eyes drilling into his back. Despite his anger toward her, it gave him no pleasure to turn down her request for help. Instead, he limped toward Dawson’s office, his leg inflamed, exhausted from virtually no sleep, feeling like a dried-out husk of a human being. |