John M McNamara

Failing Billy John M McNamara

When he's five years old, Billy Phelan discovers he can view the world, literally, through other's eyes. First through his younger sister, Micki, in another room, and then with precision, he borrows people's vision at will and at great distances. The ability alters his life, earning him wealth, (he cheats in high-stakes poker games), but also a degree of loneliness. Isolated on an acreage in the north Omaha suburbs, Billy cares for his bi-polar sister, to whom he confided about his power, and who for decades has resented him for it. She taunts him, challenges his love and loyalty, and begrudges him the life he has procured for himself, even though she benefits from his largesse. Billy befriends an old friend, a fellow veteran who suffers from PTSD, paranoia, and depression. His new neighbor, survivor of a brain tumor, fleeing a marriage that collapsed and has left her doubting many of her decisions, attracts, intrigues, and mystifies him: she's the only person he has ever encountered whose vision he is unable to borrow. Each character converges on Billy's suburban compound, some accidentally, some drawn by him out of love, duty, and a belief that he should use what he has fraudulently accumulated for other's benefit.