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Synopsis
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"Naked Into the Night"
by Monty Joynes
Winn Conover has achieved the American material dream, but
something deep inside is missing. In a desperate attempt to
overcome the moral bankruptcy of his age, he walks out of
his Virginia suburban home one night naked, literally
stripped of his old identity. He takes no wallet, money or
credit cards nor does he leave a note. His wife and two
grown children must then face the chaos of his clueless
disappearance.
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Conover takes the name “Booker Washington Jones” when he
“buys” a social security card. Thus begins a spiritual
odyssey that takes him across the country working as a
casual laborer, eating and sleeping in truck stops, sharing
his wisdom with his new friends. In Santa Fe, living among
the Pueblo Indians, he becomes “Anglo Who Became Chief Old
Woman’s Son." With a new spiritual identity, Winn/Booker
returns to Norfolk to face his angry family in an attempt to
heal all animosities.
NAKED INTO THE NIGHT reveals the struggle of an affluent
middle-aged man to find that sacred self within and, more
importantly, to retain it amidst everyday chaos. Winn’s life
as “Anglo” among the Pueblo tribe allows the reader to be a
vicarious visitor to the beauties of the Southwest desert of
New Mexico while gaining knowledge of Native American
metaphysics and spiritual truths.
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"Naked
Into the Night"
Reviews
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 "Monty
Joynes is a genuine find by Hampton
Roads. His novel portrays not only
a culture, an environment, a
political reality, but also a
psychological drama that includes
gripping scenes like one in which
the protagonist makes peace in a bar
fight, and another where he becomes
a spiritual guide to a friend dying
of cancer. Joynes has written the
tale of a man who undergoes a
radical inner transformation, walks
away from his life as a successful
real estate broker, husband, and
father, and manifests in his new
life as a homeless drifter, the
outer life that reflects his inner
transformation. In lucid prose,
Joynes narrates as compelling an
example of a person choosing essence
life and accepting the consequences
as you are likely to find in modern
fiction.”
The
Independent Press Book Review
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“With
a clarity of vision wielded by few
writers, Monty Joynes exposes the
corruption and decay of man’s soul
in the urban dying world. Language
as it is really used and spoken,
blended into an engaging portrait of
postmodern man, his environments,
his system of beliefs, thoughts,
modes, and potentiality. Building
on the tradition of Kerouac, Pynchon,
and Henry Miller, Joynes’s lyrical
and textured map of the human psyche
will become a permanent fixture in
American literary culture. The
decay and decline of the spirit, for
Joynes, can only be halted and
reversed through an absolute
transformation of self. By
peacefully releasing the old into
the void and recreating oneself as
another, the individual may find
previously undiscovered meaning and
renewal. One man’s downward spiral
of spiritual erosion and
transformation in a cycle of
self-renewing energy has been
reconstructed by Joynes into a
complex and multifaceted narrative
that exposes new truths on every
level that the reader will
inevitably peel away for her or
himself. There is hope for our
emptiness; we must brave the night
to find it.”
Quintin
Parrish, Publisher’s Review |
"Monty
Joynes is a genuine find by Hampton Roads. His
novel portrays not only a culture, an
environment, a political reality, but also a
psychological drama that includes gripping
scenes like one in which the protagonist makes
peace in a bar fight, and another where he
becomes a spiritual guide to a friend dying of
cancer. Joynes has written the tale of a man
who undergoes a radical inner transformation,
walks away from his life as a successful real
estate broker, husband, and father, and
manifests in his new life as a homeless drifter,
the outer life that reflects his inner
transformation. In lucid prose, Joynes narrates
as compelling an example of a person choosing
essence life and accepting the consequences as
you are likely to find in modern fiction.”
The Independent Press Book
Review
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“With
a clarity of vision wielded by few writers,
Monty Joynes exposes the corruption and decay of
man’s soul in the urban dying world. Language
as it is really used and spoken, blended into an
engaging portrait of postmodern man, his
environments, his system of beliefs, thoughts,
modes, and potentiality. Building on the
tradition of Kerouac, Pynchon, and Henry Miller,
Joynes’s lyrical and textured map of the human
psyche will become a permanent fixture in
American literary culture. The decay and
decline of the spirit, for Joynes, can only be
halted and reversed through an absolute
transformation of self. By peacefully releasing
the old into the void and recreating oneself as
another, the individual may find previously
undiscovered meaning and renewal. One man’s
downward spiral of spiritual erosion and
transformation in a cycle of self-renewing
energy has been reconstructed by Joynes into a
complex and multifaceted narrative that exposes
new truths on every level that the reader will
inevitably peel away for her or himself. There
is hope for our emptiness; we must brave the
night to find it.”
Quintin Parrish,
Publisher’s Review |
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Customer Reviews from Amazon |
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Wonderful
starting over. Ran across this book
several years ago at a local bookstore, lost
track of it, found it again looking for
something else. It's a wonderful novel about how
one can begin a new life that is deeper and more
connected than one's old one.
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A
spiritual contemplative experience.
I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction
novels, but I was intrigued by Winn's endurance
to throw away his identity, his family, his
prominent position in the community, and, most
of all, his comfortable life. It's not every
day that a very wealthy and educated middle aged
man, sound of mind, decides to do something
totally irrational, by leaving his loved ones,
his bank accounts, his assets, and his
successful business, and goes naked into the
night, wandering around the country with the
true hope to find a new identity and the true
meaning of his existence. It takes a lot of
guts and a 'desperate' drive. This is what kept
me devouring the book page after page, depicting
myself in the same situation, and living his
experience as he is about to start a precarious
new life, just about when he had practically
achieved everything and had accumulated wealth
and power. Each chapter kept me nailed to its
story with trepidation and suspense. I had a
spiritual contemplative experience, and I cried
with Booker when Nita died. Now I can hardly
wait to buy the sequel LOST IN LAS VEGAS and to
read more about Booker's new life with the
Pueblo Indians.
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THE
RIGHT BOOK AT THE RIGHT TIME IN MY LIFE:
NAKED INTO THE NIGHT answers the questions
posed by the inevitable mid-life experience of
so many of we “boomers” are asking. Leaving
self-sufficiency and moving toward faith and
focus on others is the path to inner peace. In
this paradigm, it matters less what you do, what
you have, etc. The focus in this book is on how
we do what we do. If you search for freedom and
inner peace, this book has some of the answers.
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An
amazing journey. A spiritually
renewing read from beginning to end. I became a
willing participant in Booker's emotional quest
and will not soon forget NAKED's powerful
message. Monty Joynes is a truly gifted writer,
and I look forward to reading more from him!
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AN
OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE YOUR PRIORITIES AND
LIFE'S MISSION. From the very start
of the book I was drawn to the main character,
Booker. His growth and understanding of life
unfolded an opportunity for me to examine my own
life and priorities. I found it to be an easy
read and can hardly wait for a sequel.
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Warm,
compassionate, an eye opener.
Terrific book!!! Very spiritual and in-depth. As
I read on, I felt I was a participant throughout
the journey, feeling every emotion. A truly
excellent read.
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I
didn't want it to end. NAKED INTO
THE NIGHT captured me from the beginning. I
cared about Winn/Booker, the main character, and
I understood his longing for something more.
Monty Joynes has written a book that touches the
soul and makes us realize that we can find peace
and love in the most real sense.
I was fascinated with the Indian scenes -- it
made me want to learn more. And, in the end, I
didn't want the book to end. I wanted to know
more about what Booker did with the rest of his
life. I hope there will be a sequel. Definitely
a worthwhile read and a wonderful gift of love
to someone else. |
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