The Blind Affect
by Michael Poeltl
Genre:
Literary Fiction
Diversity,
inclusion, and equality are at the heart of this character-driven
story. While difficult and heart-breaking lessons await Jonah,
Severn, and Darnell in their own lives, a shared event along a
similar timeline links all three despite their glaring differences.
Caught in the gravity of the event, purpose presents itself and their
shared blind affect validates the notion that no life is wasted.
The
Blind Affect explores the purpose behind existence - the reason we
take our first breath, and the rationale behind all the drama leading
up to the moment we breathe our last. It is a walk on the wild side
of family life and the events, people, and places that make us who we
are.
As
Jonah reflects on his life an asymmetrical pattern featuring a
thousand shades of grey appears as if caught up in a fragmented
kaleidoscope - the introduction of any colour negated for fear of
denoting some appeal. He’d lived a fruitless existence built around
fear and addiction, the blueprint to his life; his twin brother
stillborn moments before Jonah’s birth. The guilt he harboured over
his brother’s death kept him sedated. His mother’s overprotective
parenting supported this inertia. An addict, Jonah struggled through
life seeing multiple therapists over his seemingly endless issues
until a chance meeting attempts to rewrite his abject history.
Severn
was born in a Christian home with an alcoholic mother whose addiction
became intolerable after Severn’s father died when she was ten. The
affluent lifestyle she was accustomed to remained, but her family
life collapsed soon after, leaving her to fend for herself. One
fateful night in 1973 Severn was abducted, and any issues she’d had
with her past paled in comparison to the life she was forced to
endure.
Darnell
had it tough his whole life. At 17 his abusive father was killed in a
raid on his illegal business, while Darnell’s mother had been shot
dead the year before. Discovering a large sum of money upon his
father’s death offered Darnell the opportunity to flee his
impoverished neighbourhood and change his luck, and that of others
along the way.
Lives
are lived and lost ubiquitously, these three just so happened to be
in the same city along a similar timeline. Can life be more than the
sum of one’s own experiences?
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Born
in Toronto, Canada, Poeltl went on to study fine art and
illustration, honing his love for storytelling while working as a
freelance illustrator. Soon the art of writing overtook his artistic
pursuits and his stories found their voice.
Michael
Poeltl is a multi-genre author with several books ranging from a
post-apocalyptic trilogy, science fiction trilogy, upmarket fiction,
children’s fantasy, picture books, and educational children’s
books. Poeltl’s illustrations feature prominently in his picture
books, connecting him to his artistic roots.
He
enjoys the processes that drive creativity whether it appears as a
conversation in his head while enjoying time outdoors in his kayak or
mountain bike, or as a random thought that might otherwise be lost
were it not for that napkin on the table or phone in his pocket. If
the artistic endeavor has taught him anything, it’s that
inspiration can happen anywhere and at any time. All he can hope to
do is record it before it slips back into the ether.
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