Existential Masques is a fictional coming of age story of friendship, love, tragedy, and quests for answers. The narrative delves into mental health, marital problems from a child’s perspective, loss of loved ones, and physical and emotional trauma. While fictional, the book’s subject matter was inspired by events that the author experienced during adolescence.
Set at a small private university in the fall of 1977, the story opens during a nightmare that William, a college freshman, is experiencing. This reoccurring horrific dream ends when his roommate Neil awakens the young man. William has selected psychology as his major, primarily to acquire the knowledge necessary to resolve the haunting questions surrounding his nighttime terrors. He hopes that once the mystery is unraveled, it will lay to rest his nightmares and fears concerning the future.
During his first semester at college, William enlists Neil to help him search for answers. Concurrently, he finds himself drawn to a mysterious young woman on campus. William’s efforts to befriend this shy, dowdy girl results in a sudden, shocking transformation of her personality and appearance.
He learns that the young woman, Claire, has a superior intellect. The two become friends, and she joins his quest. Their relationship rapidly evolves into a deep romance during the investigation. After learning that Claire has a mystery of her own, William assists in solving the puzzle.
However, before the journey concludes, the couple will share a terrifying experience that threatens their relationship and William’s initial mission.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Prose: 6 out of 10
Character/Execution: 6 out of 10
Overall: 6.25 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: A group of college friends comes together to investigate one of their own's past, in order to answer questions about his mental health and get to the bottom of the horrible nightmares he's experiencing. Along the way, they hook up, party, and make up and break up, 1970s style.
Prose: Furr's prose leans toward the pedantic, and the dialogue is stilted in places. Characters experience dramatic interactions with each other, and transform their relationships in the process, but this also becomes distracting to the plot at times.
Originality: Furr combines coming-of-age, trauma, and young love into a multilayered, if meandering, story of self-discovery and quest for answers.
Character/Execution: The young adult characters in this novel stick to familiar roles, making the story relatable in many ways, as they experiment in social situations—and overcompensate for their past regrets and lack of self-confidence.
Date Submitted: May 03, 2023
