I am Diving

by Joseph Valentinetti

[kimbacaffeinate]

I Am Diving is a fictional novelette surrounding two historical events. Those events occurred in 1963 and were the loss of the submarine Thresher, and the assassination of President Kennedy. Valentinetti weaves these two events into his story suggesting that the first event caused the other.

Protagonist Jack York suffers from an affliction called Fugue, which is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by amnesia. The state is usually short-lived (ranging from hours to days), but can last months or longer. Dissociative fugue usually involves unplanned travel or wandering, and is sometimes accompanied by the establishment of a new identity. Jack has been dishonorable discharged from the navy and his wife Teri tries to be supportive. Jack and his wife own a bar called the Crossroads. On the eve of the sinking of the Thresher, a patron shows them letters written warning Navy and government officials that the Thresher has been built with faulty specifications. The patron is distraught because no one listen to him. The sinking of the Thresher is a catalyst for Jack’s illness and he goes to Dallas with a gun.

The premise of I Am Diving is very good and I was intrigued by the concept. The story sometimes felt choppy and the author left me as the reader to fill in a lot of the story. I liked the characters, but would have liked more detail. Although some clues were given, I would have liked to have read about Jack’s episodes. Where did he go, and what triggered the attacks? Some of the dialogue felt forced and I think it could have benefited from an editor. I would like to see this made in to a full length novel with more of the detailed fleshed out.

Overall this was a unique and interesting read. Fans of conspiracy theories and historical fiction would enjoy this short novelette. I Am Diving is available in both paper and eBook formats.

I want to thank the author for sending this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.