The Things of Man

The Things of Man mixes the supernatural and surreal with calm, suburban life. Brad Manford, a gifted attorney, moves his family from L.A. to Wichita, Kansas. There, his wife struggles to adjust, and his son, who has cystic fibrosis, mysteriously begins to get better. What’s behind Brad’s son’s mysterious recovery? Why does the grass in his yard grow so strangely? What about the memories Brad has but can’t explain? Why does Brad’s neighbor keep stopping by his house and staring into his yard?

I definitely caught hints of Stephen King (specifically The Tommyknockers) and The Twilight Zone, which are noted as some of Vince Wheeler’s interests in his author bio, but I wouldn’t call Mr. Wheeler the next Stephen King. He could just be a competent impostor. The story was interesting enough, but I thought there were too many threads to tie up at the end, and the conclusion felt like a bit of a clamor. A lengthier book with more detail would have gone a long way in making the story more complete. Despite its flaws, the book was intriguing, and I found myself sucked into the story, wanting to know more.