Placement of Character (USED)

By Brian Polk

Published by Suspect Press and the YR Collective; used

320 pages, paperback

Siblings Mason and Eileen Jarman lead seemingly directionless lives. The rebellion of their 20s gave way to the doldrums of their 30s, and they lack careers, children, and other symbols of status that legitimize their existence in polite society. After circumstances reunite them, Mason discovers the bizarre vocation of character placement--an industry that specializes in providing real life depictions of characters for fictional novels. Through his new line of work, he meets Sophia Cruz, a woman who challenges his notions about professionalism and romanticism. Meanwhile, Eileen encounters an author who helps rekindle her motivation to write a book of her own. Along the way, the Jarmans cope with death, the alienation of their religious grandmother, overzealous union representatives, the headless spirit of a Colorado miner who died in 1902, and a talking dog named Herman.