ORLANDO — Author Michael W. Freeman’s novel “Bloody Rabbit” is now available on Amazon and as a Kindle eBook.
“Bloody Rabbit” takes readers on a brooding, dark — and darkly comic — journey that explores the struggle to cope during an economic downturn — and the ugly persecution of those who become an angry society’s scapegoats.
Set in Orlando and loosely based on the author’s own experiences after being downsized in 2011 and his slow climb back up the economic ladder, “Bloody Rabbit” is a haunting and sometimes grotesquely funny look at how quickly social norms crumble when times get tough.
This is an eerie tale that sends readers into a surreal world where people are desperately struggling to find stability, as they cope with a harsh and lingering economic anxiety. The book follows R.T. Robeson, a middle-aged man who had it all — a good job, a home, a car — then loses everything. He finally finds a new, much lower-paying job, then happily discovers a tiny apartment available that he can afford on his modest income. He quickly agrees to rent the cramped unit — even though it has a violent and unsavory history.
If it seems like Robeson has finally landed back on his feet, he’s startled when complete strangers repeatedly and angrily confront him, insisting that he just did something crude and offensive. Robeson is baffled and can’t figure out who all these people are mistaking him for. These intrusive strangers chop away at his peace of mind, leaving him feeling disoriented and almost paranoid.
His problems get worse — much worse — when he starts being stalked by a virulent anti-Semite who has somehow mistaken Robeson for the banker that foreclosed on his brother’s home. Robeson finds himself quietly brooding alone, afraid to venture outside and potentially see that stalker waiting for him. He feels isolated, and endangered. He stares obliquely out the window to see what’s haunting him on the city streets. Cracks appear in the texture of his existence. Robeson feels like he has reluctantly, and against his will, gone into hiding. He’s in solitary confinement.
Published by Freeline Productions, the book is available by visiting amazon.com or through the Freeline online bookstore.
“This is a book for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider,” Freeman says. “If you’ve ever sat in your cubbyhole, staring at the knob on your front door and been afraid to turn it and step aside — because it just feels too overwhelming to be exposed out there — you’ll relate instantly to R.T. Robeson’s struggles.”
Freeman, a resident of Orlando, has been a journalist since 1988, and currently works as an editor at The Orlando Sentinel. He has also written and produced the original plays “Hooked” and “Copping a Craigie,” which premiered at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, and he is a guild member at The Orlando Shakespare Theater.
He enjoys reading, traveling, and theater, and Freemen is also the proud papa of his cats Fluffy and Midnight.
Contact Freeline Media at Freelineorlando@gmail.com..
