Sometimes a story will present itself in a way that makes you wonder where it's going. That's the way The Handyman starts out. You start leaning about some famous artist in the near future. Then you learn some of his history. This is The Handyman, a novel written by Carolyn See. Instead of reading the book, I got a chance to listen to it. The Publishing Mills put out an audio copy of The Handyman. It was read by Gil Bellows, better known as "Billy" on Fox's Ally McBeal.
After learning what an amazing artist Bob Hampton is, you are transported back to the late 1990's. One fateful summer changed Bob Hampton's life forever. The buildup in the first part doesn't jibe with the Bob Hampton we meet in the '90's. This Bob has a graduate degree from UCLA and goes to Paris to study to be a great artist. Only he can't hang with Paris. So he goes home to L.A.
Bob doesn't know what he's going to do. He has to find a job to earn money for the summer. He can't stay with his mother. She has her own demons to battle. So Bob gets a room in a house with other graduate students. His three roommates, two guys and a girl, all have their own problems.
Bob doesn?t really know how to be a handyman, yet he advertises as one. He gets a job at the Landry house, fixing things up. He meets Mr. Landry, a tough L.A. businessman who's never around and blames everyone for his trouble. His second wife Angela is nice but kind of standoffish. Landry?s daughter Millicent is a typical L.A. rich girl. And then there's Todd. He is a three-year-old little boy who adores Bob.
One fateful afternoon, Bob saves Todd from drowning Then nothing is ever the same for Bob or the Landry's again.
Bob moves on and does a job for the Walker's. The house is a mess and so are Mrs. Walker and her two kids. Her husband left on a trip and she just couldn't deal with the kids. Bob helps out with the kids, the house and a snake.
Later Bob gets involved in the life of Valerie. She was a widow who needed someone to help her go through the husband's stuff. Bob becomes more than just a handyman to Valerie.
And later on, Bob helps a gay couple go through an AIDS crisis.
Some friends of a woman named Shelley give Bob to her as a gift. He's to be her handyman for several weeks. Shelly has no self-esteem and Bob helps her get it back.
What do all of these people have to do with each other? They are each a catalyst for the push that Bob needs to complete himself as an artist.
The last segment of the story ties everything together. These seemingly isolated incidents become an intricate part of the patchwork life of the great 21st Century artist Bob Hampton.
The Handyman was a great human drama story. Just when I thought the story was ending, another angle was thrown out at me. Carolyn See has a good insight into the suffering of lonely people.
To order The Handyman or another The Publishing Mills title, visit their web site at www.pubmills.com.
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