Much in the same vein as his 2010 debut novel “Stash,” local author David Klein said his newest book is about relationships and what happens when people are inadvertently brought together after unexpected life events.
“Clean Break” follows Celeste Vanek, a wife and mother who Klein describes as “making one of the most difficult choices in her life.” The book opens with her and her 9-year-old moving out of the suburban home they lived in for nearly a decade as she finally decides to leave her gambling husband.
“The title is about the characters trying to shed their past and get a handle on a new life, a better life,” he said. “That’s not always easy. It can be hard to lose the past and move on. They’re all looking to make something different in their lives.”
According to Klein, his newest book is a stand alone novel with no thread connecting his first book, but there are similarities. Each features the types of “hidden secrets” that can be found in suburban living, as well as wives attempting to overcome the issues associated with an addict husband.
The book highlights the struggles of four characters whose lives eventually are woven together through a series of choices.
As Jake Atwood enters Celeste’s life as a friend helping her to escape a sometimes violent relationship with her husband, he must deal with his own personal issues with his married girlfriend Sara. Klein said although Jake isn’t the book’s main character, the inspiration to write “Clean Break” began with him.
“He is essentially alone in the world even though he is successful in his career,” he said. “(Jake) has no real human connection other than colleagues. I thought, what happens when someone is forced to make a personal connection and when he does so, disrupts other people’s lives?”
Celeste eventually begins her life anew, as her husband Adam continues to struggle with his gambling addiction and abusive nature. This in turn causes issues with other members of his family.
The Delmar resident said one of his favorite scenes to write was a minor one later in the book between Adam and his young son Spencer at a bowling alley.
“He is trying to explain how his gambling habit is a disease and how he is really trying to be a good father to his son,” said Klein. “It’s a moment of real tenderness after a lot of difficulty on the parent’s part. It’s a small scene but very touching.”
The author said he knows many people think the books are based on Delmar, but that isn’t the case.
“I was trying to portray a similar community,” he said.
Klein said he doesn’t purposefully use where he lives or people he knows as inspiration in his writing, but subconsciously they are filtered through his experiences so some similar attributes could appear without him meaning to use them.
“When I develop characters I like to think I’m just imagining them or pulling them from the air somewhere, but I guess that’s not the case,” he said.
Both his books are suspense novels and Klein said he kept his writing style the same for both.
Klein has been writing for years. He’s penned short stories that have been published in literary journals, as well as more technical writing and newspaper work. He also runs Klein Marketing as his “day job.” He said he didn’t mean to become a writer, but “sometimes you just do things and then you become them.”
The author said “Clean Break” ends with a “shocking crime” that could mean life or death for the characters involved.
Klein said he wants readers to be “emotionally satisfied with the story” and feel they wisely invested their time.
“And I don’t want (the satisfaction) to just disappear,” he said. “I want the feeling to linger a little bit. I want something to stick and for the book to not be instantly forgotten about.”
“Clean Break” will be released in paperback on Tuesday, June 5. The book is available as an eBook, from online retailers like Amazon.com and at brick-and-mortar stores. The paperback’s list price is $15.
Klein will also be holding a book signing and reading at The Book House in Albany’s Stuyvesant Plaza on Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. Readers can learn more by visiting www.bydavidklein.com.
