For Reasons of Youth
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
As the sky opens up and the twinkling sea of lights of
You.
But my strongest memory of you is of the last time I saw you alive. Not what I see here. Not this pallid face in the casket. Not the plastic-like skin or the greased hair lying flat against the forehead. This body isn’t really you.
What I remember is from another place, another time. I see you sitting in your Volkswagen Bug. You are dropping me off, leaving for work or home.
I am looking to see if there is any sign of your drinking. I am watching out for that look of suspicious satisfaction and wary confidence. But the washed out blue of your eyes evince something else. Something loving and proud as they look back at me through the open window.
Inside the car there is the stench of old cigarettes pressed into the dashboard and seats. The seats are cracked open with bits of brittle yellow foam poking through. And your aimlessly marcelled hair, moussed with water and fingers, is still showing signs of its earlier couch-corner shape.
This is how I remember you, with your hands on the steering wheel and your head turned to me. If I close my eyes, I am there, again. I peer into the car and see drops spilling down a cup of coffee you bought from the donut shop across the street. And as I step away from the car and say goodbye, I see for the last time a thick hand rise to say goodbye. Your hand. An object of pain and punishment. But it is love’s limb too.
There was a time when you were young. When you were like me. Unaccustomed to remembering the past. Looking forward. The future appearing like a pretty dream, or like a beautiful woman promising you a life-long romance and unquestioned fidelity. When hope was still the master of your life.
Sometimes I want to remember you, Dad, as I did not know you, but how you must have been. I want to remember you as the man I
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
“For Reasons of Youth is an original novel that charts the intricacies of love and relationships, and presents an insightful consideration of the theme of betrayal. The novel’s original plot structure focuses upon the lifelong relationship between two friends, John and Brian. It is, however, the presence of the third character, Amy, which drives the central narrative of the novel. Having been seriously involved with Brian on two occasions, Amy comes between the two friends when John, against his best intentions, begins to fall in love with Amy is forced to face the possibility of betraying his best friend. This compelling narrative is skillfully presented and the interactions between the characters involved add great interest and intrigue to the unfolding storyline.
The true strength and power of this work, however, lies in the ingenious subplot that is intertwined within the main narrative. It is in this subplot that the novel is given great scope and maturity; it tells the story of John’s father, Thomas, charting his youth in Nazi-occupied
Alongside the skillfully interwoven plots, the reader is also presented with a wealth of rich and vivid description through which the various times and setting of this expansive novel are portrayed. The author’s use of emotive language, and prose that is fluent and expressive, serves to guide the enthralled reader through this highly enjoyable and thought-provoking novel.“
– Reviewed by Alison Austen
About the Author
Stephen John Bauer Svoboda resides in Ventura, California, waking early to watch the ducks wing around the park before teaching an all too-early morning class (Theory of Knowledge) to benumbed high school seniors. Aside from teaching science and writing, Svoboda enjoys surfing, track, strumming his guitar with little aptitude and standing beneath large trees to watch sunlight filter through. In addition to For Reasons of Youth, Svoboda is the author of the novel intoFOCUS.