When William Wozniak, a San Francisco artist who has struggled for years in obscurity, suddenly and inexplicably finds himself painting in a startlingly new surreal style, he is embraced by the art world.
But health issues lead him to a neurologist, where Will discovers that his new artistic style is the result of a life-threatening brain tumor. He must decide whether to have surgery to remove it—relegating him to painting once again in the drab style that defined his years of anonymity—or allow the tumor to grow and most likely kill him.
To make matters worse, William and his wife Rosemary are struggling financially, having been disowned by William’s father Arthur, a cantankerous and homophobic old widower. Arthur is cared for by his younger son, Bertram, in a big house in Scarsdale, New York. But when Bertram, a gay man in the closet due to his fear of being disinherited, finally comes out, Arthur decides to switch allegiance to Will and move to California.
A mess ensues.
And it remains to be seen whether Laurel, a portly, progressively minded California real estate agent who’s taken an improbable liking to Arthur, will make the situation better—or worse.
Genre: General Fiction
But health issues lead him to a neurologist, where Will discovers that his new artistic style is the result of a life-threatening brain tumor. He must decide whether to have surgery to remove it—relegating him to painting once again in the drab style that defined his years of anonymity—or allow the tumor to grow and most likely kill him.
To make matters worse, William and his wife Rosemary are struggling financially, having been disowned by William’s father Arthur, a cantankerous and homophobic old widower. Arthur is cared for by his younger son, Bertram, in a big house in Scarsdale, New York. But when Bertram, a gay man in the closet due to his fear of being disinherited, finally comes out, Arthur decides to switch allegiance to Will and move to California.
A mess ensues.
And it remains to be seen whether Laurel, a portly, progressively minded California real estate agent who’s taken an improbable liking to Arthur, will make the situation better—or worse.
Genre: General Fiction
Praise for this book
"Will's Surreal Period is a witty, engaging romp. Cantankerous Arthur Wozniak wants to control his adult sons who are each struggling to find their place in the world. Hidden passions ignite, suppressed talents emerge, and the Wozniaks reluctantly evolve into the family they were meant to be." - Carla Damron
"A Jiu-Jitsu master of literary plotting, Robert Steven Goldstein flips the script on a dysfunctional family comprised of two emasculated adult sons and their cantankerous wealthy father, who, with petulant vagary, reallocates their respective inheritances at the fulcrum of his paternal control. Marvel and chuckle as these fraught men each succumb to the grace of separate lovers, the serendipity of which amalgamates into a late-in-life chance to rebind the strands of their frayed familial relationships." - Michael Rose
"A Jiu-Jitsu master of literary plotting, Robert Steven Goldstein flips the script on a dysfunctional family comprised of two emasculated adult sons and their cantankerous wealthy father, who, with petulant vagary, reallocates their respective inheritances at the fulcrum of his paternal control. Marvel and chuckle as these fraught men each succumb to the grace of separate lovers, the serendipity of which amalgamates into a late-in-life chance to rebind the strands of their frayed familial relationships." - Michael Rose
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