The Flip Side of Forever

by David Benz

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594142866
• ISBN13: 9781594142864
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Five Star (ME)
• Length: 271 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Very impressive first novel!

Although I feel that David Benz has a few kinks to work out, I was unduly impressed with this first novel. His structure is flawless, engaging the reader from one chapter to the next. It was a "page turner" in the true sense. What is even more impressive is how he compels you to keep reading in spite of the rather uncomfortable subject matter, in particular the father/daughter relationship. I found that to be the most disturbing aspect of the book, and sometimes wondered why it was a necessary part of the novel. However, given the protagonist's background, it made sense. I look forward to reading future novels by David Benz, because if this is the springboard and he only has room for improvement, we should see some phenomenal writing from him in years to come.

deep shadowy suspense dysfunctional family drama thriller

In 1961 Hamilton" Ham" Sprigs leaves his wife Martha in Texas taking his daughter sixteen years old Julie with him and heads to the northwest because he rationalizes that his spouse is violent and could harm their child. Interestingly, Julie realizes that she is not Ham's biological daughter as he was in the European Theater of Operations during World War I when she was conceived. Ham and Julie settle in Port Terminus, Oregon where he gains work as a security guard on the graveyard shift of a local paper mill while she goes to school. Ham meets Julie's Spanish teacher Angela Vierge and soon they are seeing each other. However, an incident occurs that forces Ham and Julie to leave the Pacific for Texas although he knows they can never go home anymore. This is an intriguing historical thriller with a dark twist that hooks the audience from the moment that Julie informs her father that she is very good at math, did the calculations and they fail to add up right so she knows that Ham did not sire her. Readers will see a caring stepfather protecting his beloved child from a potentially abusive biological mother. The tale never slows down from that mathematical summing until the final confrontation. Along the trek fans will know the darker side of Ham as David Benz writes a deep shadowy suspense dysfunctional family drama thriller. Harriet Klausner

Gripping, compelling, disturbing and intriguing...

The Flip Side of Forever is an intriguing book from cover to cover. Although the topic might be disturbing to some, the author masterfully crafts his work in such a way that any discomfort felt by the reader due to the dark nature of schizophrenia, murder, and some sexually explicit passages is quickly eclipsed by the incessant suspense and intrigue each chapter evokes. David Benz is a master of descriptive writing. His mundane scenes (in restaurants, long car rides, etc...) are brought to life by his superb use of figurative language, especially the many similes he cleverly uses throughout the book. You really can see and feel the surroundings. His descriptions of nature (clouds, storms, sky, water) are brilliant and allow the reader to relate to and perhaps help to understand the main character's intense anguish, frailty, and isolation. This book has it all: an intriguing plot, wonderfully descriptive language, and an author who knows how to captivate the reader from beginning to end.