These Things Happen by Michael Eon
What's It About?
Daniel Zimmer will do almost anything to end his pain—except for the one thing that might work.As a kid, you barely notice them. Maybe it’s at a restaurant. Maybe it’s in your own basement, where your parents have set up a bar in the downstairs game room. It’s dozens of bottles of liquor reflecting off mirrors – in different shapes, sizes and colors. “I saw them almost every day, but they’d never been anything more to me than bottles collecting dust,” says Daniel Zimmer, protagonist and narrator of Michael Eon’s gripping debut novel of alcohol, addiction and coming of age, These Things Happen (Girl Friday Books).
Just collecting dust – that is, until they take over your life like a monster you can’t control.
Michael Eon tells a heartbreaking story of a Brooklyn family wrestling to overcome its demons and members struggling to barely come to terms with their emotions, be comfortable in their own skins, and navigate the difficulties brought on by life’s daily challenges. Turning to the bottle is far more than a mere curiosity; it’s a breaking point from the pressures brought on by parents, careers and relationships.
The turbulence begins on page one as Daniel rushes to his brother Max who has just attempted suicide. Much of the conflict revolves around the boys’ father, a tough, demanding, bullying person with seemingly no interest in people or life beyond his business. He comes home in an early scene and berates his wife for not pounding the chicken cutlets thin enough. Whatever sets you off, I guess.
“Some people show their love by hugging and talking to each other about things,” says Daniel’s mother, seeking a sense of justification. “Other people show it by putting food on the table and a roof over your head.”
AN INTRIGUING WORLD
The story shifts from the present day, with the brothers in their thirties, to 20 years earlier to offer a better picture of their tension-filled upbringings. Daniel’s relationships hop back and forth between Jill, whom he met in school at an early age, and Brie, whom he had known since he was five. As the story goes, he was engaged to Brie, it broke off, he is now living with Jill, but Brie shows up in his life again, and the situation changes.
A monumental event sets the framework for much of the story. A car accident involving Jill’s twin brother Frankie and Daniel’s older brother Harry, for which details and involvement are unknown to some of the key characters, provides an undercurrent of grief, confusion accountability and guilt that Daniel can never shake.
And this is all within the confines of 1970s and later-day Brooklyn, where readers can feel the vibes and scents from this iconic world, serving as the perfect backdrop for the riveting story.
Eon is a confident writer, playing off his own background and experiences to capture readers with a family saga steeped in text and dialogue getting inside Daniel’s head. Reader root for him to make the right decisions and wince when he strays. Daniel’s exchanges, particularly with Brie, provide great insight into his pain as well as an understanding into the road ahead and the bumps he can’t avoid.
Michael Eon has written a debut novel that keeps readers glued to the pages, all the while exposing us to a side of life that is all too common and sometimes difficult to see and feel. But it is full of bright messages as well. As for Daniel’s father, as our narrator comes to realize, “In a roundabout way, he ended up teaching me that I didn’t need his approval. Of course, he taught me that lesson by withholding it.”
Enter the intriguing world of Michael Eon, Daniel Zimmer and These Things Happen. These things do happen – and how one deals with them makes all the difference.
AUTHOR:
MICHAEL EON earned a BA in psychology from the University of Michigan and an MA in international affairs from Columbia University. A former board member of the Audio Publishers Association and a former producer of major motion pictures and television productions, Michael worked in the publishing and entertainment industries for more than 20 years. Michael discovered the core of this story through the cathartic processing of autobiographical memories, following its evolution into this novel of redemption and recovery. These Things Happen is his first novel. Originally from the New York area, he currently lives in New Hampshire with his family.
