Character Lenses…

The novelist approaches the art form from the unique perspectives of his fictional characters. These snapshots, taken during Jeffrey’s travels and his many walks in New York City, have inspired the author’s collaborations with Dara Lorenzo and Ronaldo Aguiar. Likewise, Jeffrey often uses his photography to prompt the weekly, twitter-fused collaborative storytelling series, “#FlashTag,” on Monologging.org.

As the stories in This Year in Jerusalem connect and intertwine with the plot of All the Lonely Boys in New York, these brief, popup slideshows hint at underlying themes and moods as well as provide a unique character map. Accompanying quotes reveal the dynamic voices at play in the author’s fictions. Through these varied images, Jeffrey also offers a sneak peek into the new world(s) of his current work in progress, a novel titled Dossier.

The Map

Myles Fletcher

Myles Fletcher

Close

Bells

"Behind me the bells were counting endless hours on the steps to heaven. For Kurt's sake, I hoped they'd quit their call."

Into the Wonderland

"Few parks are perfect, but I'd always felt I could find the whole world inside Central Park."

The Plank

"Ethan hung his arm over my shoulder and pointed down the thin metal walkway that hugged the facade. 'Walk the plank,' he demanded."

Peep

"I put Nathalie's desk in front of the door to act as a barrier. She had cigarettes and a canister of pepper spray. I kept them both nearby along with the Luger, puffed smoke incessantly, and typed away.

Fade Away

"I looked out the window, thinking, God?"

Rendezvous Point

"We plowed through the doors, past Paul McCartney's 'Let it Be' bass-guitar..."

Inspiration

"You can always fix a picture."

Rooftop Wisdom

"Life Moves Faster than Reason."

Obscure Echoes

"New Yorkers lead the loudest lives of desperation."

Tension Glass

"Forty minutes later, Miriam stormed into the pub."

Emerald City

"No city in the world has ever made me want to laugh and cry so much."

Splish Splash

"Cold rain fell as if for spite, up and down, raindrops shattering on the sidewalk and drenching me up to my knees."

Clear Streets

"Alan came in from the protest."

The City Bar

"I gulped my drink. The foam caught in my throat. Someone put a dollar in the jukebox."

Running

"I kept running, splashing through my reflection in the puddles."

Winter Park

"The Great Recession was coming. The city's pace slowed as the gloom set in."

Midnight Subway

"I was sweating the whole ride downtown. I couldn't believe I'd brought a gun om the train."

-A young writer. He is the narrator of All the Lonely Boys in New York and select stories in This Year in Jerusalem.

Ari Shultz

Ari Shultz

Close

& Counting...

"Shall we fiddle while Rome burns?... The dollar somersaults at your expense."

Interrogation

"Where's Ari, Myles? We know he told you."

Telling

"Ari waded in up to his knees, letting the clapping waves wet the edges of his swimsuit."

Rules of the Game

"Don't hold back," Ari encouraged. "Say anything that come to mind."

Postmarked: Love

"I think we ought to see if we don't fall in love."

Hidden

"We dragged Dylan to the darkest corner and hid the duffel in a cement crevice behind a parked car."

The View

"We darted upstairs, opened the heavy door and walked out into an incredible panorama of New York."

The Bench

"They'd often go back there to make up whenever they'd had a fight."

– Myles’ best friend, who he has betrayed. Ari features in both All The Lonely Boys in New York, as well as This Year in Jerusalem.

 Nathalie

Nathalie

Close

Bohemian

"Would it kill you to clean up after yourself?"

Escape!

"Suddenly, Nathalie broke free. She bolted down Broadway..."

Uninspired

"Nathalie was a bad actress. She read everything monotone."

Storefront

"She was dressed like a New Yorker. Stunning liberty--the length of her skirt, the frills around her shoulders, the lace on her blouse..."

The Show Must Go On

"Do you have a performance tonight?"

The Costume Crowd

"You're never in character until you're in costume."

War on Mice

"'I'm so sick of this,' she complained while I extracted the carcass from the blood stained trap."

Lust

"They say the most beautiful women in the world are full of curves. That isn't true. They're full of shadows."

– A struggling actress. In All The Lonely Boys in New York, she is Myles’ roommate and occasional lover.

Harlan Weiss

Harlan Weiss

Close

Domestic

"The apartment always seemed so small when they argued"

Tea & Tears

“Dribble drops. Tearing at the eyes. A heavy, yawning light, that’s brightening, stretching, by—”

Eyes

"Noa’s eyes saw his reflection. Unbearable blues. Harlan cursed himself. He tallied up his failures as a parent."

The Skiff

"Deadly sun. Dust in my eyes, salt on my tongue. Adrift in the calmed, soup sea, our skiff spun circles."

– A news reporter, he is both blessed and cursed by the ability to tell the future. Harlan is on course to become a renowned prophet in Jeffrey’s current work in progress, Dossier.

Larkson

Larkson

Close

Wash

“You shouldn’t wear cologne in a stinking country, Gertz. I knew right away whenever you were near.”

Intruder

"His trained eyes traced the switchback urban ivy up the white façade."

Spy in the dark

"Lior Gross waited for her into the evening, staring up at the big box rooms as each lit up yellow and show business carried on."

Fast Cafe

“Let me order? I haven’t eaten

The Heap

"Into the Delhi-slop, bound for a jolly hop. Pity Larkson had the runs."

Hungry Reflections

"Sausage, stews, and Parmesan. Basil, thyme and sage. An Italian restaurant cooked up the corner."

A Light?

"Free falling Larkson enjoyed a cigarette, his mind sifting through all smoke’s charmed illusions before the scent of ash cut down his breath."

Cold Corridor

When the wind whipped through the alleys, despite the lights, there was nothing but shadows.

Descent

"Down in that brewed Manhattan a-gloom, thick fog had swallowed the bridges"

– An aging spy, he is obsessed with finding Harlan in Dossier.