How to Keep Time

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Every day, Mercer Moore was reminded that it was all ending. It was The End of Television, of Civility, of The Planet. Maybe that's why it doesn't seem like the end for Mercer. Sure, his wife Alejandra had been blunt. She hadn't used the word "divorce," but she had used "I" and "need" and "out," all in a row. Still. It just doesn't feel like the end. Rather than deal with the reality of her absence, Mercer reports Alejandra as missing to a skeptical detective and prays he's not subsequently considered a suspect. Fearing he's losing his grip, his brother Evan and father Lake suggest a weekend trip in the hopes that time away will lead to some clarity. But the retreat to the family cabin in the New Jersey Pine Barrens only leads to more problems. Evan, recently sober and born-again, offers condescending platitudes while Lake, a widowed former hippie, is too stoned to present any real solutions. As each day passes without word from Alejandra, Mercer becomes more immersed in the sprawling, haunted wilderness of the Pine Barrens and its unsettling mythology. When he stumbles upon an unexpected discovery hiding there, he's forced to reckon with the reality of his marriage or continue crawling further into his comforting delusion.

ISBN -13: 979-8-9861105-1-6

216 pp.

Cover photo and design by Jordan M. Mrazik

Every day, Mercer Moore was reminded that it was all ending. It was The End of Television, of Civility, of The Planet. Maybe that's why it doesn't seem like the end for Mercer. Sure, his wife Alejandra had been blunt. She hadn't used the word "divorce," but she had used "I" and "need" and "out," all in a row. Still. It just doesn't feel like the end. Rather than deal with the reality of her absence, Mercer reports Alejandra as missing to a skeptical detective and prays he's not subsequently considered a suspect. Fearing he's losing his grip, his brother Evan and father Lake suggest a weekend trip in the hopes that time away will lead to some clarity. But the retreat to the family cabin in the New Jersey Pine Barrens only leads to more problems. Evan, recently sober and born-again, offers condescending platitudes while Lake, a widowed former hippie, is too stoned to present any real solutions. As each day passes without word from Alejandra, Mercer becomes more immersed in the sprawling, haunted wilderness of the Pine Barrens and its unsettling mythology. When he stumbles upon an unexpected discovery hiding there, he's forced to reckon with the reality of his marriage or continue crawling further into his comforting delusion.

ISBN -13: 979-8-9861105-1-6

216 pp.

Cover photo and design by Jordan M. Mrazik

About the Author

Kevin M. Kearney is a writer whose work has appeared in Stereogum, The Millions, X-R-A-Y, and elsewhere. His novel HOW TO KEEP TIME was released in 2022. He hosts the SMALL PRESS NITE reading series in San Diego. More at kevinmkearney.com.

Reviews

Reviews

“A charming novel about two brothers and their father attempting to undo lifetimes of quiet pain, together. Set in National Park, New Jersey, and the adjacent Pine Barrens, How to Keep Time searches for magnificence in a place holy to me.”

—Bud Smith, author of Teenager

“How to Keep Time is about the complexities of one’s family of origin and how childhood experiences unwittingly steer our path in adulthood. Kevin Kearney’s writing has heart. This book is charming, funny, and deeply moving.”

—Shannon McLeod, author of Whimsy

“A vivid, beautifully written story. I didn’t want it to end.”

—Alex G.