Paranoia

PARANOIA (The Walk and Talk with Angela) shows a man of solitary habits and a background of family disruption and multiple relationships. Disturbed by his girlfriend, Angela, who calls him "oblivious", he reflects on his past life, focusing on many people and topics that he previously ignored. He acknowledges his faults and selfishness, and finds cause to give thanks to all who have played any part in his life, including mother earth and the universe itself. It is through the mea culpa of his narrative that a picture emerges of his past empty and unhappy life. Gradually, this becomes intertwined with unusual events in his present life, meetings with new acquaintances and their stories, and a high-minded plot to expose and frustrate the alleged war-mongering plans of North Korea and end the screams of torture victims in "the camps". For a long section of the text, this seems like a classic and detailed study of developing schizophrenia and paranoia, but the external plot proves that the strange present events experienced by the anti-hero have a real existence beyond his brain. This, Caleb Kavon's third novella, bears his hallmark -reflective seriousness. His concern at the errors of individuals and the flaws in the societies they create and perpetuate is brightened by the suggestion that greater engagement and appreciation of what one has are first steps that we all could take. SNIPPETS FROM "PARANOIA (The Walk and Talk with Angela)" "Philosophy and Metaphysics aside, and the Nature of Mankind and Womankind aside, what are we doing here really?" "It is important to support yourself sometimes. You might be right and not know it. There is always that chance." "I marvel myself at the distance I have created from everyone and everything. I marvel at how I got exactly what I wanted. I marvel that I wait for the final separation more than I wait for the final reunion. I hold my mountain. You could not climb there if you tried. Everest is nothing compared to my hill and separation." "Children teach us more about ourselves than they ever learn from you. They give, you receive. They love you and you worry. They get older and you age beyond recognition. They bound into life as you did once, and you bounce down a rocky hill of exasperation and confusion. They are blessed by youth and you are cursed by experience. They are optimistic and you are cynical. You know they are right about so much but cannot just say it. You need to see them into the future safely." "He had done everything he ever could to stay away from people and now he was the key to world peace."

About the Author :
CALEB KAVON was raised in Hong Kong and the Philippines. A former US army officer deployed in Central and South America, Caleb has lived and worked in China for the past fifteen years. He has travelled the world and remains an avid student of all things. Fluent in Chinese and Spanish, he currently lives in Chengdu, China and eagerly awaits the positive changes on our planet which he knows are possible.