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The Other Side of the Kneeler
Dr. David Paine was the proud father of six and an in-house psychiatrist for a fine wine importer based in North Texas. His life changed forever with the divorce of his schoolyard sweetheart. He begins a normal day with a simple plan to do nagging household fix-ups and enjoy a friendly game of golf. Unwelcome surprises change that plan and land him in his friend's funeral home along with his former teacher from "Our Lady of the Bad Haircut” Elementary School. Together they share three final days of earthly awareness navigating the unknowns of being dead while preparing their souls for something more. David's words breathe life into the first person narrative comedy. He shares his unique perspective on these dual tragedies while negotiating the escalating fallout linked to two of life’s most shocking events. Throughout the ordeal he remains eternally thankful for the divine preservation of his offbeat sense of humor.
265 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2015
185 people want to read
About the author
John Lack
11 books28 followersWith everything going on in the world, it’s good to take some time to absorb a positive message while having a few well-needed laughs. These are my stories. I’m hoping that you make them your stories.
My writings are about life, our successes, our struggles, and the things that make all of us human.
I invite you to check out one of my latest books, “Negotiating Puberty.”
Francis Flanders came of age on the familiar streets of Paebety, South Dakota. From day one, he could lay claim to being the youngest in his class at Paebety Elementary School. Being the biggest child in school made him easy to notice. But it wasn’t his size, or his age that made Francis a noteworthy lad. It was how he bargained his way through adolescence that makes him worthy of note. A boy who braved the loneliness of growing up and negotiated soul-saving settlements with his heritage, friendships, authority, the ten commandments, war, relationships, drugs and fidelity, while coming to terms with a candid assessment of his own shortcomings. And he did it all, without the help of the internet.
I’m often asked, “Why does so much of your writing and storytelling highlight strong female characters?” The opportunity to create the strong-willed, precision oriented, math genius, Tempest’s Arrck, is why I love to write. Inventing characters like Annie Davis in “The Context of My Life,” Thelma Nature, of “Thelma’s Chance,” or Sarah Thompson in “Negotiating Puberty” was also a joy.
I hope you are just as pleased with my male protagonists and that you enjoy their stories as well. Dr. David Paine’s post-mortem journey in “The Other Side of the Kneeler," and John Davis’s potholed path to adulthood in "The Context of My Life," will fulfill you as a reader as much as it did me as a writer. The influence of secrets and an unnamed gift shape the world of John Hoff in "Graveyards Courtyards and a Two Person Two Act Play." The challenges and deception faced by Richard Heiding and Richard Feinding in “Heiding Fortunes, Feinding Truths,” will keep you riveted in what is my attempt at a Dickensian novel. Whether you are following my men or women, I hope you enjoy reading all my characters.
Please take the time to “look inside” my works on Amazon. Perhaps you will find something that will interest you. The paperbacks are a modest price, the ebooks cost less than a good cup of coffee. In the end, it is the commitment of your precious time that is the real price tag. In securing that treasured asset, you have my promise that I have done my very best to deserve your trust.
If you choose one of my books, I hope you enjoy reading the story of each of my characters as much as I did creating them.
Enjoy!
John Lack
Follow me on Instagram at johnlackbooks
My writings are about life, our successes, our struggles, and the things that make all of us human.
I invite you to check out one of my latest books, “Negotiating Puberty.”
Francis Flanders came of age on the familiar streets of Paebety, South Dakota. From day one, he could lay claim to being the youngest in his class at Paebety Elementary School. Being the biggest child in school made him easy to notice. But it wasn’t his size, or his age that made Francis a noteworthy lad. It was how he bargained his way through adolescence that makes him worthy of note. A boy who braved the loneliness of growing up and negotiated soul-saving settlements with his heritage, friendships, authority, the ten commandments, war, relationships, drugs and fidelity, while coming to terms with a candid assessment of his own shortcomings. And he did it all, without the help of the internet.
I’m often asked, “Why does so much of your writing and storytelling highlight strong female characters?” The opportunity to create the strong-willed, precision oriented, math genius, Tempest’s Arrck, is why I love to write. Inventing characters like Annie Davis in “The Context of My Life,” Thelma Nature, of “Thelma’s Chance,” or Sarah Thompson in “Negotiating Puberty” was also a joy.
I hope you are just as pleased with my male protagonists and that you enjoy their stories as well. Dr. David Paine’s post-mortem journey in “The Other Side of the Kneeler," and John Davis’s potholed path to adulthood in "The Context of My Life," will fulfill you as a reader as much as it did me as a writer. The influence of secrets and an unnamed gift shape the world of John Hoff in "Graveyards Courtyards and a Two Person Two Act Play." The challenges and deception faced by Richard Heiding and Richard Feinding in “Heiding Fortunes, Feinding Truths,” will keep you riveted in what is my attempt at a Dickensian novel. Whether you are following my men or women, I hope you enjoy reading all my characters.
Please take the time to “look inside” my works on Amazon. Perhaps you will find something that will interest you. The paperbacks are a modest price, the ebooks cost less than a good cup of coffee. In the end, it is the commitment of your precious time that is the real price tag. In securing that treasured asset, you have my promise that I have done my very best to deserve your trust.
If you choose one of my books, I hope you enjoy reading the story of each of my characters as much as I did creating them.
Enjoy!
John Lack
Follow me on Instagram at johnlackbooks
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 29, 2016
Having worked in a funeral home in my retirement I find this book to be an amusing and irreverent look at the funeral business, but tempered by a lesson in resolving life's missteps. John Lack is a skilled storyteller.
March 3, 2018
John Lack has a knack for taking one of life's tragic moments and infusing it with bouts of humor. I'd randomly find myself laughing at some one liner or another, not expecting it in the slightest. This book brought humor, but it also brought peace. Highly recommend giving this a read.
January 9, 2021
I have an unfortunate tendency to rivet towards writing that is cerebral, intense, and perhaps dramatic. The Other Side of the Kneeler by John Lack, suggested to me by another writer on social media, was quite the opposite; though the drama contained in the novel was seeped in humor.
Lack has a clear gift for storytelling (it is evident on every page that he loves to write) and his joie de vivre with the written word became a catching force for me. The book takes the reader on a humorous romp through the events of the story's protagonist - David Paine. We journey with him before his untimely and pathetic death, during his death, and after his death. While on his journey the reader encounters an array of interesting characters - most of whom reveal themselves for who and what they are at the kneeler of the funeral parlor where Paine is on view.
Without giving too much away, there are many underlying spiritual truths contained therein, though nothing preachy. Lack asks big questions within the confines of his offbeat humor: Who has hurt me and can I forgive? Can others forgive me? What unfinished business holds us back from moving on? Can I "right" what I have wronged?
The story is light, easy to read, and very well-written. If not for anything else, The Other Side of the Kneeler with all its twists and ironies, will bring a smile to your face - even if your mind does not venture down spiritual or cerebral paths as mine does. I highly recommend this little treasure. I am grateful for the suggestion and it was well worth the read.
Lack has a clear gift for storytelling (it is evident on every page that he loves to write) and his joie de vivre with the written word became a catching force for me. The book takes the reader on a humorous romp through the events of the story's protagonist - David Paine. We journey with him before his untimely and pathetic death, during his death, and after his death. While on his journey the reader encounters an array of interesting characters - most of whom reveal themselves for who and what they are at the kneeler of the funeral parlor where Paine is on view.
Without giving too much away, there are many underlying spiritual truths contained therein, though nothing preachy. Lack asks big questions within the confines of his offbeat humor: Who has hurt me and can I forgive? Can others forgive me? What unfinished business holds us back from moving on? Can I "right" what I have wronged?
The story is light, easy to read, and very well-written. If not for anything else, The Other Side of the Kneeler with all its twists and ironies, will bring a smile to your face - even if your mind does not venture down spiritual or cerebral paths as mine does. I highly recommend this little treasure. I am grateful for the suggestion and it was well worth the read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews