Deacon

Deacon is a novel about how much the narrator loves the house where his grandparents used to live, loves strawberries, loves his dog. It is largely a novel about love. It is also a novel about rivalry, fixation, enemies, and neighbors via the character of the Deacon, and the narrator's perceived rivalry with the Deacon. The novel explores the ebbs and flows of this dynamic, as well as the rivalry's efficacy and reality. The narrator becomes frustrated with a desire to love and enjoy the place for a few quiet days with his dog, who he loves, and his inability to not let his paranoia regarding the Deacon cloud his days.