DUCK REDUX

A man with nothing to live for and nothing to lose finds his world turned upside down when he befriends an unassuming duckling in Bettauer’s novella.

Arthur Chase, a war veteran and retired high school history teacher, sits next to an urn in his small Los Angeles apartment and makes a plan to end his life. His wife has died from cancer, his son perished in a hit-and-run when he was only 17, and Arthur is broke, on the brink of eviction, and aimless. He takes the urn containing the ashes of his late wife, Frances, and makes his way through an abandoned park closed to the public. There, he sits by a tree representing his son, Daniel, plants another for Frances—and readies himself to swallow a handful of pills. His plan is interrupted when he hears the distressed call of a scared, lonely duckling, and suddenly, Arthur has a ridiculous and delightful reason to put down the pills and start down a new path. Together, Arthur and Joe (the sneezy, sweet, flight-averse duck) make a home in the park and take life one day at a time. They encounter a diverse collection of characters, including a hard-shelled teenager, a blind man and his seeing eye dog, and a man ready to jump from a balcony. Arthur learns that “a ripple can take hold in a life and grow to encircle others,” no matter how small that ripple may be, or what form it may take. Bettauer tells a story bursting with heart, humanity, and vulnerability. The quiet novella is evenly paced, easy to follow, and satisfying in its simplicity. It is about the difference that one man (or duck) can make in the world, and how quickly that world can change. Both heartfelt and heartbreaking, Arthur’s tale is one that’s sure to touch readers at their core.

A beautifully vulnerable look at life, death, and love.