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The Caretaker of Lorne Field: A Novel Hardcover – August 26, 2010

by Dave Zeltserman (Author)

4.4 76 ratings

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Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said his "breakthrough third crime novel deserves comparison with the best of James Ellroy." And Crimetime calls him a name to watch." Now, Zeltserman has written the book his fans have been waiting for?a classic unlike anything you've ever read. Jack Durkin is the ninth generation of Durkins who have weeded Lorne Field for nearly 300 years. Though he and his wife Lydia are miserable and would like nothing more than to leave, Jack must wait until his son has come of age to tend the field on his own. It's an important job, though no one else seems to realize it. For, if the field is left untended, a horrific monster called an Aukowie will grow?a monster capable of taking over the entirety of America in just two weeks. Or so it is said. . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Zeltserman's superb mix of humor and horror focuses on Jack Durkin, the ninth generation of firstborn sons in his family who have daily weeded Lorne Field to purge it of Aukowies, bloodthirsty plants that could overrun the world in weeks if not attended to. Though Jack takes his job seriously, no one else does: his oldest son doesn't want to follow in his footsteps; his wife is tired of living poorly on his caretaker's salary; and the townspeople who subsidize him are increasingly skeptical of purported menaces that no one has ever seen because Jack diligently nips them in the bud. With his support dwindling, Jack finds himself driven to desperate measures to prove that he's truly saving the world. Zeltserman (Pariah) orchestrates events perfectly, making it impossible to tell if Jack is genuinely humankind's unsung hero or merely the latest descendant of a family of superstitious loonies. Readers will keep turning the pages to see how the ambiguous plot resolves. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

This superbly crafted horror story explores the dichotomy between belief and rationality. Why has a small town maintained a contract since the eighteenth century with a member of the community and his heirs to pull weeds in Lorne Field? Jack Durkin, the current and ninth generation of Lorne Field caretakers, says the things he pulls from the ground aren't weeds; they are something called Aukowies, and if they're not pulled up by the roots and burned every day, the world will end. Under pressure from his wife to get a real job; from the town fathers (looking to save a few bucks and end the contract); and from his sons, who don't see themselves as career weed-pullers, Durkin is finally out of a job. No more weed pulling. So is he just a nut case, or does the novel segue into another Little Shop of Horrors? Sorry, we don't do spoilers. Horror fans will have to read this first-class cautionary tale themselves. --Elliott Swanson

Review

¦If Stephen King had a true Noir calling and Peter Straub added contemporary horrorS and Dean Koontz threw in his fine depiction of ordinary life on the edge of the unknownS then bring the specter of James M. Cain to write the narrative, you¦d come close to describing the whole effect of this stunning slice for the zeitgeist wondrous novel and the writing isS pure dark bliss.¦ -- Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard

¦The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a magnificent novel, with truly believable characters and suspense that keeps building to an explosive climax. There it is, plain and simple.¦ -- Seymour Shubin, Edgar Award finalist, author of Anyone's My Name

This superbly crafted horror story explores the dichotomy between belief and rationality. Why has a small town maintained a contract since the eighteenth century with a member of the community and his heirs to pull weeds in Lorne Field? Jack Durkin, the current and ninth generation of Lorne Field caretakers, says the things he pulls from the ground aren¦t weeds; they are something called Aukowies, and if they¦re not pulled up by the roots and burned every day, the world will end. Under pressure from his wife to get a real job; from the town fathers (looking to save a few bucks and end the contract); and from his sons, who don¦t see themselves as career weed- pullers, Durkin is finally out of a job. No more weed pulling. So is he just a nut case, or does the novel segue into another Little Shop of Horrors? Sorry, we don¦t do spoilers. Horror fans will have to read this first-class cautionary tale themselves. -- Elliott Swanson, Booklist

¦Zeltserman is the author of increasingly accomplished crime novels, distinguished by spare and crisp prose, believable dialogue, imaginative plot twists and tightly wound characters who don't wear out their welcome.¦ -- Newsday

¦Delicious horror-ish novelSZeltserman is fully in control.¦ -- Newsday (Long Island)

"Dark and exciting as all hellS With every chapter Zeltserman turns up the tensionS This is one of those novels, like Cormac McCarthy¦s The Road, that should be shoved in the hands of young readers to show them that books can be complex thematically while also fucking thrilling at the same time. The prose, typical of Zeltserman¦s work, is tight, no-bullshit stuff and the story masterfully never tips its hand or oversells its message." -Spinetingler Magazine

"Zeltserman deftly drags the reader through the story, keeping you wondering about the truth.¦ -- Dallas Morning News

¦Superb mix of humor and horrorSZeltserman orchestrates events perfectlySReaders will keep turning pages to see how the ambiguous plot resolves.¦ -- Publishers Weekly

"Harrowing. Zeltserman colors it black with the best of them.¦ -- Kirkus Reviews

"The black comedy of errors that ensues invites comparison to storiesby Kafka, David Prill, James Hynes, William Browning Spencer, and other authors who have mused on the dark side of daily breadwinningS Though Zeltserman¦s approach is clearly tongue-in-cheek, he deftly balances the competing interests of the characters to keep the truth of the narrative events ambiguous. A few deaths at conveniently inopportune moments and several coincidental fades to black only add to the dramatic tension of the narrative. Stories of this kind are hard to pull off and often collapse under the weight of their outrageous premises long before they end. It¦s to Zeltserman¦s credit that his novel holds together up to and through the final paragraph, and that it compels the reader to stay with it for that long." -- LOCUS Magazine

"Crime writer Zeltserman has produced a nail-biter...The narrative is straightforward and gritty, reminiscent of works of Dashiell Hammett...gripping and actually Ohorrifying,¦ this title is recommended for horror fans and readers who may relish unpleasant surprises." -- Library Journal

¦The Caretaker of Lorne Field is a fabulous amusing tale that grips the reader with a need to know whether the monster is real, a centuries old con, or generational lunacy¦ -- Midwest Book Review

¦Part noir and part Stephen Cain, with a dash of James M. Cain thrown in for good measure. Zeltserman is one of the more cogent of the neo-noirists, and this might be his best yetS Book by book, Zeltserman is proving himself to be one of the best.¦ -- CrimeTime Blog

¦The Caretaker of Lorne Field succeeds as a horror novel, a psychological thriller and a haunting parable, even in some ways that Zeltserman may not have intended. There are dark levels to this work, some of which are immediately evident and others of which reveal themselves only upon later reflection. I don¦t know if the book will come to be regarded as a classic, either now or at some point in the future, but it deserves to be.¦ --Bookreporter

About the Author

Dave Zeltserman is the author of ten horror and crime novels, including Monster, a Booklist Top 10 Horror Fiction selection; The Caretaker of Lorne Field, shortlisted by the American Library Association for best horror novel of 2010; and A Killer's Essence. He lives in the Boston area.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Overlook Press (August 26, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1590203038
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590203033
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.01 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.84 x 8.31 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #789,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #36,336 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- #40,818 in American Literature (Books)

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4.4 76 ratings

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"If there's any other young writer out there who does crime noir better than Zeltserman, I don't even want to know." Maureen Corrigan, THE WASHINGTON POST

Boston-based author Dave Zeltserman's crime and horror novels include SMALL CRIMES, PARIAH, KILLER, OUTSOURCED, THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD, A KILLER'S ESSENCE, MONSTER, and THE BOY WHO KILLED DEMONS, and he's been published in seven languages. SMALL CRIMES has been made into a Netflix film starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Molly Parker, Gary Cole, Robert Forster, and Jacki Weaver. THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD and OUTSOURCED are currently in film development.

His books have been picked by NPR, the Washington Post, American Library Association, Booklist, and WBUR as best novels of the year, and his Julius Katz mystery stories has won a Shamus, Derringer and two Ellery Queen Readers Choice awards.

Dave also writes the Morris Brick thrillers (DERANGED, CRAZED, MALICIOUS, CRUEL, UNLEASHED) under the pseudonym Jacob Stone.

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Dholden007

So What Will Actually Happen If No One Tends to Lorne Field?

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2011

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I admit I am a huge Dave Zeltserman fan and with the 10 for 1 points promotion on kindle books I finally caved in and bought all his remaining novels I didn't own. Although this one is not a typical Zeltserman (crime-noir) novel its one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I usually don't read a book in one sitting (although this is the second Zeltserman book that I have done that with) but I just had to find out the truth about those stupid weeds.

Very Simple Premise: Jack Durkin is the 9th generation of Durkin men who for about 300 years have been contractually obligated to pull weeds from Lorne Field, located in a small New England town. Legend has it that unless Durkin carefully pulls these weeds out daily from spring until the first frost they will within days grow into deadly creatures called the Aukowies, who will consume the entire world. After all its in his contract. Only a few elderly people of the town still actually believe Durkin is literally saving the world every day. Durkin's wife is fed up with him, his eldest son Lester who's the next in line as the Caretaker doesn't believe him and most of the town think Jack maybe scamming them. But Durkin is sure that the world's fate is in his hands.

So what actually happens if Durkin doesn't tend to Lorne Field? Is he an unappreciated savior of the world or just a crazy old loon pulling weeds everyday? Zeltserman's searing hot prose ratchets up the tension, and throws in some clues that keeps you guessing until the very end. It also has one of the most perfect endings... in fact it couldn't have ended any other way.

C'mon, you want to know what the deal is with those weeds? This is a great fast paced read. Strongly recommended.

6 people found this helpful

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Larry Hoffer

Strange and bleak, but tremendously well-written...

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2012

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What a strange and bleak little book this was.

Jack Durkin has a great responsibility. Every day until first frost, he must weed Lorne Field in its entirety, purging it of Aukowies, bloodthirsty plants that could overrun the world in weeks if not attended to. He is the ninth generation of Durkins to serve as caretaker; the eldest son of each generation has been contracted with since 1710. In exchange, the caretaker gets an $8,000 annual salary and he and his family can live rent-free in a cottage. And in the early days of Jack's tenure as caretaker, the town's business owners understood the sacrifices Jack made to save them all, and they donated free goods and services to his family.

But times have changed. Most of the people in the town don't understand what the Aukowies are and don't believe that weeds could pose a threat. Jack's wife, Lydia, is tired of living hand-to-mouth. His oldest son, Lester, who is destined to become the next caretaker, wants nothing to do with it and is tired of his family being the butt of jokes throughout the community. As the pressures of family and community bear down on him, Jack is determined more than ever to prove the Aukowies are real and that his job should be taken seriously.

The idea behind this story was very unique and compelling. What I found intriguing is that at one point in the book, I wasn't really sure whether the Aukowies were real or whether Jack and his family had all bought into some kind of hysterical fantasy. I became a little frustrated with the endless amount of pain and suffering that Zeltserman inflicted upon Jack, and I felt that many of the supporting characters were very stereotypical, but in the end, I couldn't stop reading, because I really wanted to know how everything would be wrapped up. This could be an interesting movie.

7 people found this helpful

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QuillBall

Excellent, unique story!

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2012

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I must say, this is one of the most unique stories I have read in quite some time. I am a life-long reader of horror stories, and at 44 years of age, I've already read it all. For me, Horror has become a repetition of the same old stories. Because The Caretaker of Lorne Field is something different, I appreciated this book so much.

Unlike some other readers, I did not find the "constant" weeding tiresome. I didn't feel it dragged the book down. I felt sad for the caretaker, of how he was treated by his hometown neighbors, his back-breaking work, his flippant family, and all the other sad-sack events that occurred in his life. I imagined how I would feel if I were in his shoes, but throughout the book, my mind went where the author wanted it to go, and it was a great ride. I listened to the book through TTS, and it was an easy listen, well formatted so the TTS engine paused where intended at the commas and periods, which for many books somehow becomes haphazard.

I felt the book maybe could have been a little longer for the price. This seemed to me to be a novella, not a complete paperback-sized manuscript. However, if the book had been just mediocre to good, I would have been much more upset. The Caretaker of Lorne Field was excellent in my opinion. The Caretaker came alive for me, he was someone I knew. And I don't think I will ever forget him :)

This was definitely worth the download, and for me, was very much worth the read. Thanks for the great story!

5 people found this helpful

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Tina K RN

Ambiguous ending

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2018

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Is he crazy or is he not? Is it in his mind or not? Not clear cut ending. You decide.

One person found this helpful

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KatieJoandHerBooks

I had low expectations

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2018

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Mind blown. I fully expected to not be able to get into this book at all. I'm not a fan of books with male protagonists and I expected this book to be super boring with a bit of gore. WELL, this is the first book I've been able to fly thru in a few hours in over a decade. It was perfectly written to compel the reader to turn the page. I HAD to know what was going to happen. I FELT so much for Jack. I was amazed by how hard of a worker he was, my body ached thinking about his own aches. To put it short, this book came alive to me and I fell hard for it.

The ending too was what I hoping for.

This book is pretty bleak but Jack lived a bleak life but the story was amaze!

2 people found this helpful

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superhersh2002

Off the beating path..

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2018

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Zelsterman captivates n this monster mystery.

One person found this helpful

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Ginger Nuts

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2011

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for those of you who read my blog, you'll remember that Blood Crimes by Dave Zeltserman, was in my opinion a bloody good read. So how will I take to this my second exposure to Zeltserman, have I got the Zeltserman bug?

Caretaker tells the tale of Jack Durkin, who along with the previous eight generations of Durkins have protected the world from the all consuming threat of the Aukowie, ravenous plant creature that will destroy the world within days. That's if Durkin doesn't full fill his contractual duties, and Durkin takes these duties seriously oh so very seriously. In previous generations the townsfolk took the Caretaker seriously, and paid him handsomely for his services. However these days only a small handful of folk, still believe in his duties. Life for Durkin has become a struggle, a struggle to get by on his pittance of pay, a struggle to be taken seriously, and a struggle with his family. His wife doesn't take him seriously and is fed up with her peasants lifestyle, his two sons were born in the wrong order. Only the eldest can become a Caretaker, but he refuses to follow his destiny. Whereas the younger son would love to become the Caretaker, but the contract cannot be changed, it cannot be broken.

Fed up with her life Durkin's wife seeks a way to make money out of Lorne Field and the Aukowie. So she turns to the flash young lawyer Minter, who plans to make the Durkin's, and himself millions by turning The Aukowie into a Disney style amusement attraction. That'll go without hitch won't it folks. that's all I'm going to reveal of the actual story. As with most things it's better if you find out for yourselves.

The Caretaker, is one hell of a book, books like these don't come out often. Within the relatively short 235 pages, Zeltserman has weaved a tale that is moving, terrifying, funny and deep. This is a very different novel than that of Blood Crimes, where Blood Crimes was a action based noir thriller Caretaker is a thoughtful slow builder, that piles on the tension page after page.

The story is told from two narratives Durkin, and his wife. Durkin fully believes that the Aukowie are real, he is completely and utterly dedicated to his job and the contract. So much so that he wants some boys, who did nothing more than throw some tomatoes at him, hanged in public. He believes that as the contract states that anyone who interferes with the duties of a caretaker should be hung, that by doing this the kids violated the contract. He even goes to the local sheriff to make him round up the boys.

Durkin's wife, who like most of the towns folk doesn't believe in Durkin's job, and its through her parts of the novel that Zeltserman introduces doubt into the existence of the Aukowie. Has Durkin just fooled himself into believing they are real, is his devotion to his job that strong? Or are they just a figment of Dirkin's mind. If you think I'm going to tell you the truth, then think again.

This book is being marketed as a horror book, which in my opinion is a misfortune, for this like The Thief of Broken Toys, transcends the horror genre. There has been talk about what is literary horror. I'll tell you it's this. This book is dense with themes, how far will a man go to defend his beliefs? How society treats those they no longer feel are useful. Zeltserman handles these themes with the skill and deftness of an author at the top of his game. This is a moving and haunting book that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

Buy this book now, in fact buy two copies and give one to a friend, they'll be indebted to you.

One person found this helpful

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