Keith-Aaron enjoys his life in the quirky small Louisiana town of Eerie Falls. He likes his job as a cashier in the local supermarket and doesn’t really have any ambition to do anything else. He has many friends, including Dusty, the aged owner of the local funeral parlor, who does nothing to deny the rumors that he’s immortal. Keith-Aaron lives with Dusty’s great-grandson Marc in an apartment over the home’s garage. The young man finds himself pulled into the murky world of myths and legends surrounding the falls and the story of a child once thought lost in the river.
“Come to the Water” is a quirky tale of small town superstitions and strange happenings. It’s a charming romance with a light touch of the paranormal. The story-telling is as quirky as the small town it’s set in. Be prepared for some meandering narration, especially in the first few chapters before it settles down into a more traditional narrative.
The story is effectively told entirely from Keith-Aaron’s point of view. We’re meeting the man as he is about to go through a bad period in his life and the book follows his journey to finding his way back to happiness. I suppose you could describe this as a coming-of-age story, although Keith-Aaron is in his late twenties. Given the surprises about himself that he uncovers, perhaps “voyage of discovery” would be a more apt summary.
This is very much a character-driven story. Keith-Aaron is surrounded by several people, each of whom is very well brought to life, quirks and all. Chief among these secondary characters is Dusty, the town’s immortal mortician and amateur magician. Then there’s Keith-Aaron’s mother, a force unto herself. It’s quite a cast, which makes this a different kind of read.
“Come to the Water” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).
