A Messy Life

After the death of his wife Emily, Steven decides to honor her by walking from their Oregon home to her birthplace, Jerusalem.

The word messy not only reflects Steven’s lifestyle and his journey, but the structure of the book itself. There is no linear progression. It does not follow the standard structure of plot—crisis—resolution. It is closer to an anthology in many ways, yet the resulting work is a novel.

During his travels, Steven trudges through an Indian Reservation where spiritual mushrooms create a visitation by Lewis and Clark. At one point he visualizes a sperm race tracing life’s source of DNA. His memory is swamped with life lessons learned by his travels around the world. Having lived and worked in Asia for decades, his memory is flooded with Thai massage parlors and Chairman Mao’s savagery. Sex with his wife (and others) frequents his thoughts along with his views on religion, politics, love, and hate. He almost dies in a tornado while debating Christianity and Islam with a small town country pastor. During his hospital recovery he recalls the lessons responsible for his successful yet messy life.

The dominant theme is the joy he gained from life with Emily and the horror of watching her decline in the arms of Lou Gehrig disease (ALS).

Reviewers have commented —

“A fictional autobiography of a man who has had a messy life and writes a messy book. It will at times, make you cry, laugh, swear and occasionally piss you off. You may not be able to put it down or, at other times, you may want to toss it out the window. Being a messy reader will help."

“The delving into the life, passions, thoughts, and emotions of a man beginning with the death of his wife and best friend are heart-wrenching, funny and raw with honesty. The journey is one of deep reflection and amazing events, punctuated with humor and belief-challenging ideas. Powerful to the end.”