THE CHOIR BOY
An Experimental Novel
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Prison psychologist Dr. Frank Goodman stirs the dead ashes of his burned out career. His only hope for his reputation lies in a book he wants to write. Answering his prayers, fate delivers a new patient whose case could make his manuscript a best seller. Warren Charles, called Choirboy for his innocent appearance, has beat and raped his grandmother and his retired high school English teacher.
In prison “orientation sessions” with Choirboy, Goodman uncovers a shocking history of abuse and degradation from his grandmother who uses him as a scapegoat for her daughter’s sins. Joining the Marines, his fair complexion and baby-face bring on platoon hell from his comrades, exacerbated by the horror of participation in the massacre of an entire Vietnamese village. As their sessions draw to a close, Goodman grows more and more terrified at the thought of the fate that awaits Choirboy when he is placed in the prison population. The baby-faced young man can never survive as a sexual pawn passed about among the hardened cons.
Using his connections, the psychologist schemes to get Choirboy transferred to a moderate mental facility. When the Warden learns of the psychologist’s interference, he offers him a chance to resign or be fired and lose his pension.