ENDSVILLE

endsville (ENDZ-vil) adjective, noun
1.  Most excellent or the best, 2. Most undesirable; the end.

Note: this book has not been published. Proposed cover design is by author

As a young man, Jack Gorki, the only son of a violent Polish immigrant, had it all: a small bungalow in Chicago, a wife he loved, and a great job as an architect in a small design firm. Now he's in his 70s and his body is falling apart. He's homeless, alone, and drunk when he shows up at gate A11 at Metro Airport for the 45 minute Southwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Chicago.

The 25-year-old narrator of Endsville, Kearney's first novel, is seated in the waiting area when Gorki arrives, barking offensive orders at the Southwest gate agents and the young man pushing his wheelchair. The narrator agrees to sit with Gorki on the nearly-full flight only after the Southwest staff promises him a free one-way ticket in return for taking the worst seat on the plane. Over the next twelve hours the narrator becomes, somewhat unwittingly, the most important person in Jack Gorki's life and the linchpin in what is for Gorki a critically important journey.

Gorki forces the narrator to face difficult questions about himself, his background, his abilities, his affection for women who appear on TV or in movies, and what ultimately separates him from losing control of his life. He's forced, too, to consider whether or not it's worth the trouble to help another human being. The answers surprise him. So does everything he learns about Jack Gorki and the significance of his journey.

* This novel has not been published. If you're interested in reviewing sample chapters, please contact G.R.