The Cold November Son

ABOUT Kjelden Cundiff

Kjelden Cundiff
Kjelden Cundiff was born in the small city of Sioux Falls, SD.  He lived there until moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992.  He studied under Robert Cawley at the College of Southern Nevada while honing his voice as a writer and placed his first screenplay, "Jensen's Hardware&quo More...

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Description

Manhood, it is that imaginary line that every teenage boy must cross but when a teenage boy in a small town in South Dakota takes what he believes is a first step out of adolescence he has no idea how close to the line of adulthood he is stepping. The summer of 1983 starts innocently enough for thirteen year old Tommy with the gift of a shotgun, and an invitation to join his father in the upcoming pheasant hunting season. However, the innocence of that moment quickly evaporates as the son learns that life isn’t as perfect as it may once have appeared to be. As the days of summer pass, the complexities of life reveal themselves and Tommy soon learns a dark secret that his father has held closely. With a decaying relationship with his mother growing and a father who is trying to fit a lifetime of lessons into one summer, Tommy is about to come face to face with a decision that no teenager should ever have to make. The Cold November Son takes the reader on a voyage that explores the boundaries of love and mercy. It is a love story unlike any you have read before. Will the son honor his father's wishes? What secrets will be revealed? Those questions will be answered as Tommy is about to partake in one final and violent act of kindness? Come along on the journey and see for yourself.

Manhood, it is that imaginary line that every teenage boy must cross but when a teenage boy takes what he believes is a first step out of adolescence he has no idea how close to the line of adulthood he is stepping. Summer starts innocently enough with the gift of a gun, and an invitation to join his father in the upcoming hunting season. However, the innocence of that moment quickly evaporates as the son learns that his father is dying. The Cold November Son takes the reader on a voyage that explores the boundaries of love and mercy as a son watches his once mighty father ravaged by terminal cancer. It is a love story unlike any you have read before. Will the son honor his father's final wish to ease his pain in one final violent act of kindness? Come along on the journey and see for yourself.

If you read one book this year, make this the one! For about the first 30% of the book, it appears as though it's going to be a coming-of-age book or something along the lines of a book for youth. While it starts out that way, hang in there and you'll be glad you did. Tommy longs to talk to his mother about what's going on in his life but she is cold and distant. Fortunately for him, his father is not. His father loves to laugh and enjoys life. He has his own construction company and the summer Tommy turns 14 is the summer his dad brings him to work with him on a daily basis, introducing him to Easy (Carl) a 20 year old from a halfway house. His mother, a Christian, knows less about compassion than Tommy and Tommy knows that his mother will never allow Easy, an ex-con to eat at her table. This is the summer when Tommy's dad teaches him how to drive a stick and shoot clay pigeons at the firing range. How to hang sheetrock. The summer when Tommy learns about compassion and anger, life lessons and regrets. The compassion Tommy's father has is amazing! Tommy has compassion as well but since he lacks life experience, it's not as mature a compassion as his father. As you read, you'll discover what I mean by this. The reader reads about choices and consequences, not only to ourselves but to others. Because consequences don't only affect the one making the choice but often affect those around them. Life lessons. Whatever you do, don't skip this book thinking it's merely for youth or young adults. Far from it. This book "The Cold November Son" will have you all over the place with your emotions. It plucks at them and leaves the reader asking "What would you do?" after his father asks him "What is the right thing?"