Romulus was the founder of Rome; and those tossed outside the city-gate are not Romulus鈥檚 children but the cast-offs living in hovels, the Rumphulus. However, this isn鈥檛 ancient Rome, but rather the nature preserve of a contemporary American suburb. The outcasts don鈥檛 understand why they鈥檝e been relegated to the woods. Nor do they know if they will ever summon the courage to cross the roads that act as a physical and psychological barrier to their reentry into conventional society. Daily they negotiate the harsh conditions of the wild and the dangerous presence of one another while they contemplate their exiles. That is until society comes for one of them.
The Rumphulus have grown their beards long, and when they can no longer stand life they howl like wolves; only they are not wolves but the stranded city outcasts who howl in pain.
Previous praise for Joesph G. Peterson's novels:
鈥淥ne of the Windy City鈥檚 best-kept secrets.鈥濃Kirkus Reviews
"For me, Joe Peterson鈥檚 voice is a fresh pair of feet on the very dusty road of contemporary American literature.鈥濃擠an Fante, author, Fante: A Family鈥檚 Legacy of Writing, Drinking, and Surviving
鈥淚t鈥檚 the eye for detail that makes Peterson鈥檚 story, set during a Chicago heat wave, burn more brightly than other attempts at modern noir. . . . Reminiscent of both Hemingway and Gertrude Stein. . . . A great read.鈥濃Chicago Sun-Times
鈥淎 quite outstanding piece of writing. . . . It is a tribute to Peterson鈥檚 considerable skills as a writer that he is able to weave important philosophical themes into a gripping piece of prose.鈥
鈥擲tephen Grant, author, Spanish Light
