Circling Toward Nightfall - by Dennis Must

About the Book

"In the lyrical novel Circling Toward Nightfall Jeremiah Coombs, its narrator, may be the only man on earth who has two fathers. After being told by Billy Coombs, his father, that he had no mother, Jeremiah's paternal grandmother discloses that her name was Bernadette who died in childbirth even though Jeremiah vividly recalls her in his early life. A neighbor, "Ichabod" Ernest Tyner, begins to play an increasing role in his life. Ichabod reveals that Bernadette was a Sisters of Conscience nun who gave birth to the boy on the banks of the Ohio River and then drowned herself. When how he was conceived is revealed, a patricidal urge propels Jeremiah to seek vengeance. It is at this juncture that the novel's truth shows itself. With characters that flow in and out of it, the novel is an enigma"--

Book Synopsis

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF HUSH NOW, DON'T EXPLAIN

2014 USA BEST BOOK AWARD LITERARY FICTION FINALIST

Dennis Must explores the boundaries of reality and myth in his final book in a series, CIRCLING TOWARD NIGHTFALL

Circling Toward Nightfall is a lyrical exploration of blood, duality, and the search for origins--a meditation on reconciling the body with the innermost self. Its narrator, Jeremiah Coombs, may be the only man on earth with two fathers. Told by Billy Coombs that he had no mother, Jeremiah later learns from his grandmother that her name was Bernadette and that she died in childbirth--despite his vivid memories of her presence in his early life.

As the mysterious neighbor "Ichabod" Ernest Tyner takes on a growing role in Jeremiah's life, he reveals that Bernadette was a nun from the Sisters of Conscience who gave birth to Jeremiah on the banks of the Ohio River before drowning herself. When the truth of his conception comes to light, Jeremiah is seized by a patricidal urge that drives the novel toward its haunting revelation. With characters who drift in and out like echoes from another world, Circling Toward Nightfall is an enigmatic and mythic final work.

About the Author

Dennis Must was the author of three novels: Brother Carnival (Red Hen Press 2018), Hush Now, Don't Explain (Coffeetown Press 2014), and The World's Smallest Bible (Red Hen Press 2014); as well as three short story collections: Going Dark (Coffeetown Press 2016), Oh, Don't Ask Why (Red Hen Press 2007), and Banjo Grease (Creative Arts Book Company 2000 and Red Hen Press 2019). He won the 2014 Dactyl Foundation Literary Fiction Award for Hush Now, Don't Explain; in addition, he was a finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Banjo Grease, the 2016 International Book Awards for Going Dark, and the 2014 USA Best Book Award in Literary Fiction for The World's Smallest Bible. A member of the Authors Guild, his plays have been produced off-off-Broadway. He resided with his wife in Salem, Massachusetts.