A Day with John Cheever

by Jeff Swystun

James Wolcott writing in Vanity Fair said, "If a tinge of melancholy haunts the cocktail hour, if a croquet mallet left derelict on the lawn evokes a broken merriment, if the bar car of a commuter train gives off a stale whiff of failed promise and bitter alimony, pause and pay homage to John Cheever. Light a bug candle on the patio in his honor. For Cheever—novelist, master of the short story, prolific diarist—is the patron saint of Eastern Seaboard pathos and redemption, the Edward Hopper of suburban ennui, preserving minor epiphanies in amber."

Cheever's short story, Reunion, gripped Jeff Swystun from the start. It is absolutely succinct at 824 words but has the heft of a full-length novel. That tale and others of Cheever's are referenced in this inventive short story that pays tribute to Cheever. It imagines a day with the writer in Manhattan and draws not only on his work but also his personal essays and the amazing biography penned by Blake Bailey. It explores the dark and light of being and being remembered.

So take a walk...and a drink...with John Cheever.

12 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2017

About the author

A Madison Avenue veteran, Jeff is a marketer, writer, and ghostwriter. He is an expert writer in nonfiction business and aspiring novelist. Jeff recently published, TV Dinners Unboxed: The Hot History of Frozen Meals, that is entertaining pop and food culture history. Why Marketing Works, topped the advertising and marketing categories on Amazon.

A prolific speaker, he has appeared at scores of conferences while global media outlets feature Jeff for his communications expertise. He is signed with Gotham Ghostwriters. Jeff welcomes writing projects and conversations about writing.

Jeff is quoted in several marketing books, over 100 publications including The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Advertising Age, and Rolling Stone. CNBC, Nightly Business Report, BNN, NBC, CNN, CTV, CBC and the BBC have featured Jeff.

Reviews

[leonard m myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just around the corner

Nice insight into the mind of one of America's best writers. Take a few minutes to read it, you will not be disappointed.