Warden Faustus
The following is author commentary for The Road Cain Walks, Monday - Chapter 9. If you haven’t yet started the story, you can find the first chapter here.
Whether by extreme coincidence or some accidental symmetry, my “deeper dive” posts have started to mirror upcoming chapters. The previous post covered Eric Vanger’s first interaction with Grady Perlson as well as his first shift at Starks Prison and was written as I posted the chapter detailing his second. For this one, I’m discussing the first chapter that focuses on George Carmichael as I prepare the post for the next one.
It’s given me a chance to look directly at these secondary but highly important story arcs to make sure their trajectory matches my intention. So far, I’ve been happy. Now, let’s get to it.
On the heels of the revelation that Jim Stucker has some deeper knowledge about Grady Perlson, the next chapter focuses on George Carmichael, warden of Starks County Prison. We follow him home from work, meeting him at the door from the garage, though he is expecting someone different. His wife Nicole usually waits for him at the kitchen table. To George, her absence is an omen.
