Parts North

"Parts North" is the answer to a question. If you're from certain parts of Maine and a stranger asks where you're from, or where you're going, "Parts North" might be the answer you share when you're on the run. Quinton Deane, the ex-con who mostly keeps to himself, has no reason to share too much information with anyone these days. He's a groom in the harness-racing circuit, with his own methods for coaxing sore horses that are just as broken down as he is. When Quinton's boss pulls out of the horse business, Quinton has few choices to pursue for work ... unless scabbing down at the paper mill in rural Nezinscot makes sense for Quinton. Quinton left a family behind in Nezinscot when he went to prison all those years ago, both his ex-wife Celia and his recently grown-up son Newland, and they haven't done much better in the years since. Celia's re-married to a man who doesn't appreciate Newland's former high school athletic skills, especially since Newland lost his arm car-racing in the dark switch-backs in the foothills of the White Mountains. Newland 's union is on strike against the mill, and the strikers are as likely to turn on each other as they are against the scabs trying to take their jobs. When Quinton comes back to Nezinscot as a scab, his young son Newland is torn between his loyalty to his union and a deep desire to understand and connect with the father he never knew, especially as Quinton begins to discover new opportunities in Nezinscot to leverage the same criminal skills that landed him in prison in the first place. Could Quinton provide Newland with a path out of small-town Maine, or is too late for both father and son? Ranked 5 Stars by IndieReader.com see Review by Aislinn Sarnacki of the Bangor Daily News: "Bangor native's book a gritty Maine tale" with the following excerpts from the Bangor Daily News: from August 11th, 2011: "Parts North: a Back-Roads Noir," a self-published work by Bangor native Kevin Cohen, is just that, a dark story of a man who has fallen on the wrong side of the law and returns with desperation to an unwelcoming town in rural western Maine. Through his journey, Cohen explores how violence and crime can be born out of need and not necessarily due to a person's character. The residents already harbor distaste for Quinton, a man imprisoned for safe-breaking, a man who left his son Newland in the hands of his mother, and now, a hardheaded stepfather. Yet Quinton's honesty, fearlessness and the way he handles his situation without self-pity turns him into a character to root for, and the tumultuous town serves as a backdrop for the rocky reconciliation of father and son. Though some of the scenes are dramatized, the basis of the situations reflect Cohen's experiences and observations in Maine. The tale brings readers on an unpredictable ride, riddled with harsh and often amusing dialogue and startling events. Quinton and Newland learn that all actions have consequences. As their relationship develops, so does the risk of landing in jail. They both have a tendency of choosing the wrong path, and in this "back-roads noir," the odds are against them to the very end." ------------------------------- See "Darkness and Dysfunction In A Maine Mill Town" by Lloyd Ferris, with excerpts from the Maine Sunday Telegram, from August 14th, 2011: From the first paragraph of his interesting second novel, "Parts North: A Back-Roads Noir," Kevin Cohen creates a dark, brooding atmosphere that's consistent throughout this 430-page chronicle of a rural Maine town. The tension and eventual alliance that develops between Newland and his dad makes for fast-moving drama that Cohen crafts with skill. The author also excels in portraying the insular, poverty-ridden town that shapes his characters. "Parts North" is a fine novel. Take it to the beach for late-summer reading. You'll never guess its strangely surreal ending."