Leonard Mooney hits what many might consider the fantasy jackpot: inheriting a deserted tropical island and a chance at a fresh life. Armed with time, scenery, and a healthy ration of rum, Mooney wrestles the ghosts who follow him, amuse him, hector him.
Dark and comic, Mooney in Flight follows a disaffected, drunk, and bewildered man who has removed himself from the lives of his two children and the ex-wife he adores. He is alone with his thoughts, relentless sand fleas, and unanswered questions. When an airplane lands on his island, an exotic couple disembark and bring to his solitude both danger and opportunity for change.
The reader of Mooney in Flight may glimpse the escape act of so many American males who disappear into drink or fantasy or work, into anything but responsibility and empathy.
Bruce Ducker was born in New York City. He has practiced corporate law for most of his career and is the founding partner of a Denver law firm. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in such journals as The Yale Review, Poetry, Commonwealth, and the Literary Review.
He has authored several; the most recent, Bloodlines, was described by The Denver Post as a “a captivating tale” and by Kirkus Reviews as “providing a rising spiral of thrills.” He received the Colorado Book Award for Lead Us Not Into Penn Station and was nominated for The Pulitzer Prize for Marital Assets.
“Mooney in Flight is a special and rare book, one about adult life as it is lived. While Leonard Mooney's wrecked life might seem a dark and depressing subject, in the author's hand it is anything but. You'll be engrossed, entertained, and humored as Mooney slouches toward the outcome. Witty and knowing, this book is one you won't want to end.”
— Dungeons and Dragons Magazine
Publication Date: October 24, 2003
$22.00
398 pages
ISBN 1931561524
trim size: 5 x 8 Hardcover