Polished Synopsis
Dan Feuerbach
English 352
3-29-2006
Synopsis
After a long drafting progress the work on my novel is finally coming together. The early days of this novel being a childish exercise in puns have given way to a much more cohesive narrative. The novel has been given an official title; “Dismembered” and the characters have been given clearly defined motivations. Although nowhere near finished, it is safe to sat this novel has come much further than I thought it would when I created the premise in spring of 2004.
The novel begins with the protagonist, Everett Gibson, on top of a hill in west Lincoln. He is holding a letter in his hand which informs him his mother is going to be evicted from her room in the nursing home unless he can pay the money he owes them as her next of kin. While bingeing on cigarettes and trying to formulate a plan he flashes back to earlier in the day when he lost the courage to tell her.
Meanwhile across town, the antagonist, Harvey Kopelson is sitting in his office awaiting a call form the main supplier of his transplant business. Bored, he putters around his office and smokes illegally until the call from the head of the company comes in. Kopelson find out the company is going out of business, which means he may have to shut down until he can find a new supplier.
The next day the pseudo-antagonist, Tom Menke arrives for a busy day of work. He sets up the funereal with the family of a girl who overdosed on heroin. He neglects to tell them about an opportunity they have to avoid paying for escort services for the funereal party by having all the work on their daughter done at the cemetery she’ll be buried in.
For the next week everything is fine until the owner of Wyuka informs the FTC about Menke’s actions. Menke gets the letter on an otherwise pleasant Saturday afternoon and hides it from his wife, pretending everything is normal. He cooks he breakfast and she remarks on what a great husband she has.
At the same time Kopelson is getting off work late again after trying to find someone to take his former supplier’s place. He has a ray of hope but it won’t be available for another month. He needs to find a supplement until the new contract comes in. At his home he realizes one of the bodies up for donation is being worked on by a casual acquaintance of his. He gets a phone call from the owner of Wyuka and personal friend about the lawsuit.
After the conversation, he flashes back to a scene in a bar during a convention where him and Menke drink and discuss a recent underground transplant ring. Although the conversation keeps a joking tone to it, underneath Kopelson wonders if Menke would do it. He pulls Menke’s number off the web and resolves to call him the next day.
He gets a hold of Menke who agrees to meet him for drinks the next night. While drinking the two men discuss their respective problems with each other. After drinking too much they go to a diner, driven in a cab by the author of this piece, to discuss more in private.
Kopelson lays the plan out for Menke, who is reluctant at first. Kopelson gives him four days to make his decision. When Menke gets home his wife is waiting for him with a new letter from the FTC. She confronts him about his drinking. He insults her and she storms upstairs. Upon viewing the contents of the letter he calls Kopelson and arranges to drop off a part.
From this point on the novel becomes theoretical. I find my best work comes when I develop the plot in a linear fashion. Although the above work is pretty much guaranteed to be in my novel, the rest of this is subject to change.
Gibson takes up a second job to raise money for his mother. During the time he becomes more depressed when he visits her and becomes more and more burnt out from his two jobs. Eventually Menke asks him what’s wrong and Gibson tells the situation to him.
Menke feels bad because it was pay cuts given by him that out Gibson in the situation. He visits Kopelson to receive money for a recent “donation” and suggests the possibility of bringing Gibson into the plan since only two weeks are left until the work is done. Kopelson is reluctant at first but upon meeting Gibson he decides to let him in.
Everything is going well for the three conspirators. The problems get resolved, Menke makes up with his wife and Kopelson lands the contract he needs. However the three realize they could still make some side money anyways. The operation continues but things begin to get complicated.
After a botched test reveals one of the transplants gave syphilis to a grandmother in Iowa his conscience get the best of him. He has doubts about this being as harmless and helpful as Menke and Kopelson claim. He informs the men he wants out but promises to keep quiet. They agree to the plan and let him go.
Then the Justice Department gets involved. An investigation reveals that the syphilis transplant came from a person that didn’t exist. At this news the three men begin to panic. After a heated discussion about whether or not to confess, Kopelson convinces Menke that Gibson is going to rat on them to save himself. The two begin to plot his death.
Gibson does in fact plan to confess and the authorities promise a square deal. Menke and Kopelson kidnap him from his apartment and strangle him to death. They dispose of his body, however not before he turned over a bunch of documents to the authorities.
Unaware and seemingly in the clear the two celebrate by vowing never to sell parts again. The next day Kopelson hears on the radio that Menke has been arrested for murder and body part theft. He knows it’s only a matter of time before he is nabbed so he hangs himself and the novel ends.
English 352
3-29-2006
Synopsis
After a long drafting progress the work on my novel is finally coming together. The early days of this novel being a childish exercise in puns have given way to a much more cohesive narrative. The novel has been given an official title; “Dismembered” and the characters have been given clearly defined motivations. Although nowhere near finished, it is safe to sat this novel has come much further than I thought it would when I created the premise in spring of 2004.
The novel begins with the protagonist, Everett Gibson, on top of a hill in west Lincoln. He is holding a letter in his hand which informs him his mother is going to be evicted from her room in the nursing home unless he can pay the money he owes them as her next of kin. While bingeing on cigarettes and trying to formulate a plan he flashes back to earlier in the day when he lost the courage to tell her.
Meanwhile across town, the antagonist, Harvey Kopelson is sitting in his office awaiting a call form the main supplier of his transplant business. Bored, he putters around his office and smokes illegally until the call from the head of the company comes in. Kopelson find out the company is going out of business, which means he may have to shut down until he can find a new supplier.
The next day the pseudo-antagonist, Tom Menke arrives for a busy day of work. He sets up the funereal with the family of a girl who overdosed on heroin. He neglects to tell them about an opportunity they have to avoid paying for escort services for the funereal party by having all the work on their daughter done at the cemetery she’ll be buried in.
For the next week everything is fine until the owner of Wyuka informs the FTC about Menke’s actions. Menke gets the letter on an otherwise pleasant Saturday afternoon and hides it from his wife, pretending everything is normal. He cooks he breakfast and she remarks on what a great husband she has.
At the same time Kopelson is getting off work late again after trying to find someone to take his former supplier’s place. He has a ray of hope but it won’t be available for another month. He needs to find a supplement until the new contract comes in. At his home he realizes one of the bodies up for donation is being worked on by a casual acquaintance of his. He gets a phone call from the owner of Wyuka and personal friend about the lawsuit.
After the conversation, he flashes back to a scene in a bar during a convention where him and Menke drink and discuss a recent underground transplant ring. Although the conversation keeps a joking tone to it, underneath Kopelson wonders if Menke would do it. He pulls Menke’s number off the web and resolves to call him the next day.
He gets a hold of Menke who agrees to meet him for drinks the next night. While drinking the two men discuss their respective problems with each other. After drinking too much they go to a diner, driven in a cab by the author of this piece, to discuss more in private.
Kopelson lays the plan out for Menke, who is reluctant at first. Kopelson gives him four days to make his decision. When Menke gets home his wife is waiting for him with a new letter from the FTC. She confronts him about his drinking. He insults her and she storms upstairs. Upon viewing the contents of the letter he calls Kopelson and arranges to drop off a part.
From this point on the novel becomes theoretical. I find my best work comes when I develop the plot in a linear fashion. Although the above work is pretty much guaranteed to be in my novel, the rest of this is subject to change.
Gibson takes up a second job to raise money for his mother. During the time he becomes more depressed when he visits her and becomes more and more burnt out from his two jobs. Eventually Menke asks him what’s wrong and Gibson tells the situation to him.
Menke feels bad because it was pay cuts given by him that out Gibson in the situation. He visits Kopelson to receive money for a recent “donation” and suggests the possibility of bringing Gibson into the plan since only two weeks are left until the work is done. Kopelson is reluctant at first but upon meeting Gibson he decides to let him in.
Everything is going well for the three conspirators. The problems get resolved, Menke makes up with his wife and Kopelson lands the contract he needs. However the three realize they could still make some side money anyways. The operation continues but things begin to get complicated.
After a botched test reveals one of the transplants gave syphilis to a grandmother in Iowa his conscience get the best of him. He has doubts about this being as harmless and helpful as Menke and Kopelson claim. He informs the men he wants out but promises to keep quiet. They agree to the plan and let him go.
Then the Justice Department gets involved. An investigation reveals that the syphilis transplant came from a person that didn’t exist. At this news the three men begin to panic. After a heated discussion about whether or not to confess, Kopelson convinces Menke that Gibson is going to rat on them to save himself. The two begin to plot his death.
Gibson does in fact plan to confess and the authorities promise a square deal. Menke and Kopelson kidnap him from his apartment and strangle him to death. They dispose of his body, however not before he turned over a bunch of documents to the authorities.
Unaware and seemingly in the clear the two celebrate by vowing never to sell parts again. The next day Kopelson hears on the radio that Menke has been arrested for murder and body part theft. He knows it’s only a matter of time before he is nabbed so he hangs himself and the novel ends.
posted by Dan at 12:45 AM
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