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The Disembodied Parts: a rhapsody
From author Pablo D'Stair (LUCY JINX, REGARD) comes an inimitable portrait of brotherhood and an excavation of the communal folklore which forges artistic perception.
FOURTH GRADER, ICHABOD BURLAP AND his brother Alvin lived in a neighborhood where the disembodied parts of a corpse, each armed with some implement of death, roamed without restriction. These maledictions could disguise themselves as animals, each one. Rust-colored squirrel, a hand. Overweight pigeon, a head. Some kids said this shape-shifting was needless as the parts could turn invisible, teleport through solid walls and ceilings. Some kids said all kinds of things. Misinformation. Uninformed lunkheads, disbelieving louts, and daredevils sewing confusion.
Were the body parts all of a single corpse? Whose corpse? Was the dead man contemporary, ancient? Were the body parts as much a disguise as the animals? Was this menace - entity, lifeforce - not of our physical or psychic realm?
Some kids said they knew. Some kids said all kinds of things.
Some kids were, one day, never heard from again ...
THE DISEMBODIED PARTS is an autobiographical novel evoking a childhood exactly as it was - which is precisely as it wasn't.
FOURTH GRADER, ICHABOD BURLAP AND his brother Alvin lived in a neighborhood where the disembodied parts of a corpse, each armed with some implement of death, roamed without restriction. These maledictions could disguise themselves as animals, each one. Rust-colored squirrel, a hand. Overweight pigeon, a head. Some kids said this shape-shifting was needless as the parts could turn invisible, teleport through solid walls and ceilings. Some kids said all kinds of things. Misinformation. Uninformed lunkheads, disbelieving louts, and daredevils sewing confusion.
Were the body parts all of a single corpse? Whose corpse? Was the dead man contemporary, ancient? Were the body parts as much a disguise as the animals? Was this menace - entity, lifeforce - not of our physical or psychic realm?
Some kids said they knew. Some kids said all kinds of things.
Some kids were, one day, never heard from again ...
THE DISEMBODIED PARTS is an autobiographical novel evoking a childhood exactly as it was - which is precisely as it wasn't.
182 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2020
About the author
Pablo D'Stair
70 books33 followersPablo D'Stair is a novelist, filmmaker, essayist, interviewer, comic book artist, and independent publisher. His work has appeared in various mediums for the past 15 years, often pseudonymously.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 23, 2020
D'Stair's latest is a autobiographical novel with a supernatural element to it. Initially, I wondered if the disembodied parts of the title would set off some form of Stephen King/Goonies-esque group hunt, but the novel settles more into the autobiographical side of things with, Ichabod, the precocious 9 year old wannabe storyteller protagonist imparting his wisdom with us throughout. The parts become something more of rumour and folklore among the children and set off the fervent imaginations of the impetuous youths involved.
The story is malformed into vignettes and remembrances in a child-like way where attention veers quickly from one thing to the next. Ick becomes enamoured with making a comic, then a script, then a radio play, but never sticks them out to their conclusion typically. In this you can see the portrait of someone who went on to pen his first novel at 18 and has since written 50+ on top of other creative works.
It truthfully colours the independence of growing up in the 90s and how the generation before were sort of at a remove from the franchisement of television, films and didn’t come up with the constant presence of games consoles. There is little cloistering of Ichabod and his brother, Alvin, who are free to roam their town and do what they want as long as they don't get caught. There's a charm to the novel and it had me smiling throughout. The disembodied parts may be the hook of the story, but they are not the reason you stick around with Ick and his cohorts. Altogether this is a joyful paean to youth gone by and being fully ignorant of the world at large.
The story is malformed into vignettes and remembrances in a child-like way where attention veers quickly from one thing to the next. Ick becomes enamoured with making a comic, then a script, then a radio play, but never sticks them out to their conclusion typically. In this you can see the portrait of someone who went on to pen his first novel at 18 and has since written 50+ on top of other creative works.
It truthfully colours the independence of growing up in the 90s and how the generation before were sort of at a remove from the franchisement of television, films and didn’t come up with the constant presence of games consoles. There is little cloistering of Ichabod and his brother, Alvin, who are free to roam their town and do what they want as long as they don't get caught. There's a charm to the novel and it had me smiling throughout. The disembodied parts may be the hook of the story, but they are not the reason you stick around with Ick and his cohorts. Altogether this is a joyful paean to youth gone by and being fully ignorant of the world at large.
Displaying 1 of 1 review