Title: Telemachus
and Homer
Author: Scott
Locke
Genre: YA Fantasy
For every boy who grew up in his father’s shadow and every
girl who has been underestimated, there comes a time to look within themselves
to see if they have the strength to meet the challenges of the lives. For Telemachus this time arrives soon after
Odysseus returns from his twenty year absence, when Telemachus comes to appreciate
that his own life needs to be about more than waiting for his father to guide
him. On the verge of embarking on an
adventure, he learns that his community has been threatened and realizes that
he does not know how to help. Swallowing
his pride, he recognizes that Homer, a young blind woman is a necessary
ally. Homer, like Telemachus has
something to prove, for although she is respected for her knowledge, she feels
unfairly defined by her community.
Together, as the people of Ithaca’s last hope, they begin their quest.
Author Bio
Scott Locke is a
graduate of Brown University with a concentration in biology and of the
University of Pennsylvania School of Law, where he earned his J.D. Scott has published many articles on various
aspects of intellectual property.
Telemachus and Homer is Scott’s first publication of fiction.
Links
http://blog.dreamtheanswer.com/2014/04/underestimated-and-living-in-a-shadow/
Book
Excerpts
By the time that Telemachus was nineteen, he had
had
enough of Homer’s attempts to
help him to get in touch with his feelings. He was living his loneliness, and he did not see any
value in brooding over it as Homer wanted him to do. Consequently, he spent longer times in a state of silence that was loud and clear to Homer.
However, even in silence, Telemachus could not hide his discomfort. During these times, Homer heard Telemachus’ breathing rate change as she asked questions that made him feel ill at
ease, and she could smell the sweat that accumulated on his brow. Finally, Homer stopped
following him to the shoreline.
Telemachus had been Homer’s only true
friend. He was the only person who did not ever question why she spent so many
hours studying, and he never asked her how she could learn so much even though
she was blind. She always wanted people to treat her as Homer, and not the blind girl. In
receiving the cold shoulder from Telemachus, her wish came true, and it hurt.
By contrast, Telemachus had mixed emotions about not having Homer as a companion. He missed the company, but he also felt relieved that no
one forced him to confront his feelings. Homer had been the only one in all of Ithaca to press him on
these issues. Even Telemachus’ own mother did not press him. He wondered whether Homer was the only one who
could not appreciate that her questions were inappropriate to ask the son of
Odysseus, or whether she was
the only one who
cared enough to ask the questions that despite his unease and desire not to hear,
needed to be asked.
In
the
first few days after Homer stopped shadowing Telemachus, Homer sulked and Telemachus became even more introverted. But Homer was too determined to make something
of herself to allow her rift with Telemachus to bring her down. Accordingly, whereas Telemachus remained focused on waiting for news of his father, Homer threw herself into her interests, and she increased the intensity of her training in the medicinal arts. She also spent her free time, the time that she had previously spent with Telemachus, interviewing travelers and
veterans of the Trojan War. Quickly, she became Ithaca’s most worldly citizen, despite never
having left its shores.
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