Paranoia
J.E. Braun
ISBN: 9780595478521
iUniverse
Reviewed By Linda Waterson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
On
the morning of September 11, 2001, Jim is sitting at the desk in his
office, playing solitaire, bored with what has become the unchallenging
routine of his job. It just so happens, though, that his office is
located in the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, and
when he hears the unmistakable sound of an approaching jet engine, he,
like the others who rush with him to the window, can never imagine the
full scope of the horror they are about to experience.
Barely
escaping with his life, Jim soon begins to struggle with the enormity
of the events that comprised the worst terrorist attack ever waged on
American soil. Understandably, the entire foundation of his well-being
is shaken to the roots – an apt metaphor for the United States
citizenry at large. Rather than lose his mind in a swift snap of
insanity, though, Jim slowly descends into an increasingly introverted
world of psychic shadow, one in which the certainty of the present
yields to both the haunting spectre of the past and the instability of
the future.
What follows in Paranoia,
the debut novel by J.E. Braun, is a series of disjointed flashbacks to
which Jim surrenders mind, body, and spirit. Each flashback highlights,
in vivid detail, a defining moment in Jim's life that signifies yet
another twisted turn down the inward spiral of his devolution: his
escape to his aunt's remote Colorado farm; his continued efforts to
rationalize the reasons for his worsening neurosis; the departure of
his wife and son, who can no longer traverse the emotional distance
required to connect with him. Through each subsequent "phase" of his
new existence, Braun, by degrees, pulls the reader further and further
into Jim's increasingly darker world, deftly intermarrying his physical
reactions with the spiritual impetuses that give them life.
Ultimately,
Jim yields to his self-serving paranoia, even going so far as to charge
himself with the duty of tracking potential terrorists. His
justification: there were people who knew and unwittingly interacted
with the airline hijackers in the days leading up to the September 11th
terrorist attacks, and, if they had been more vigilant, the entire
tragic ordeal could have been avoided...in his patriotic haste, though,
Jim fails to realize that the appearance of guilt doesn't always equate
to actual culpability – and when his actions lead to the shedding of
innocent blood, he is forced to ask himself who the true terrorist
really is…
Paranoia
is an interesting, engaging read that touches on significant topics and
issues that many would prefer to avoid. Rather than serve as an
incendiary call-to-arms against ideological extremes, though, it
actually pulls off the opposite effect of forcing the reader to
question why such action ever becomes necessary – regardless of the
circumstances that spark it. Through compelling storytelling, Braun
skillfully manages to engender just the sort of raw introspection that
is so quickly – and needlessly – avoided in this era of obsession with
all things politically correct.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: J.E. Braun (Paranoia)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, J.E. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
J.E. Braun: Thank you for having me!
AR: The terrorist attacks of September 11th remain a hot topic of debate, even seven years after they occurred. What inspired you to make those events the central impetus of your novel?
JEB: Observations on the way people were living life around me. People who were not there when the towers came down were afraid to drive over bridges or through tunnels. Many were afraid to fly. The idea that the terrorists had won, to some degree, with these people, made me wonder about those people who had been there. What things were they no longer able to do? Once a "What if?" question plants itself in my head, I know I have the start of a story.
AR: In that same vein, you weren't afraid to posit some of the more controversial conspiracy theories surrounding the attacks in the book - and you do so in rather convincing fashion. Do you personally subscribe to some of those theories?
JEB: Absolutely not. I like to think I'm a very rational person, but I love a good conspiracy - when it makes sense. JFK assasination? I'm all about conspiracy there. The evidence suggests something other than the official story took place and there are reasons why others would have had an involvement. With 9/11 I believe that what you see is what you get. Terrorists planned an attack and they were just more creative than we were. They got one past us and it cost us tremendously. But, by no means can I believe that the American government had anything to do with it. I don't care what agenda the government has, I cannot believe they would resort to killing thousands of their own citizens to achieve it (and this is coming from a person who is extremely skeptical of all the government does).
AR: The majority of the action in Paranoia takes place via vivid flashbacks that Jim dips in and out of. What made you decide to craft the overall storyline in such a way?
JEB: I began to write the book just before the five year anniversary of the attacks, so my initial thoughts were "How were survivors affected and what is their status today?" I also wanted to distance Jim from the day of the attacks. Even though the book relied heavily on 9/11, I wanted the story to be about Jim and what he was going through. All this pointed to anchoring the story in the present. In fact, my initial draft had almost no storyline in the present day, but I saw a lot of opportunities to show Jim continuing to heal.
AR: When Jim goes from "hunted to hunter," so to speak, why does he not have the foresight to see the tragic end that his actions will likely result in?
JEB: Jim was enamored with the idea of being a hero. He wanted nothing more than to be the guy who stopped the next attack so that he could justify his actions to his friends, wife, and all the others who had ostracized him since he started to slip over the edge. To him, Julius becomes a savior - somebody who provides him the strength to live again - and Jim would follow him into any situation.
AR: Our reviewer noted that you skillfully draw the reader into the heart of Paranoia by thrusting him/her rather seamlessly into Jim's increasingly darkening mind. Was it difficult for you to craft such a gradual, yet powerful transition?
JEB: It wasn't easy. While the story seemed to be writing itself, I was constantly worried that I was going to take the wrong step with his degree of paranoia. I could have expanded the story, but I wanted each flashback to be to a significant point in his descent. I believe you can pick out why each chapter is important to his downfall and/or redemption.
AR: Paranoia is your first book. How does it feel to have finally brought your publishing dreams to life?
JEB: Well, it really is a dream. I'm not somebody who opened up a word processor a couple of years ago and said, "Let's write a book." I've been writing in one form or another since my freshman year of high school. I have had this image in my head of seeing my name on the cover of a book, and now I've seen it, I've held the book in my hands. So, in one word: amazing. It's been fantastic to have friends and family, as well as complete strangers reading my work. Add to that the fact that reviews have been very positive, it's all kind of surreal. I did self-publish through iUniverse for a number of reasons, but I still plan to work with traditional publishing houses at some point.
AR: How has your publishing experience been thus far with iUniverse?
JEB: It's been very positive. Having access to such services as professional editorial evaluations despite the fact that the book is self-published is priceless. The one bad thing, and this is no fault of iUniverse, is that all of the marketing is on the author's shoulders. Holding down a full time job and having a wife and two small kids makes it difficult to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to promotion. Overall, I found iUniverse fast, reasonable, helpful, and professional.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?
JEB: I want to make a career out of writing. To me, this isn't 'one and done.' I've already begun work on my next novel as well as some creative marketing for it that will hopefully benefit both that novel and Paranoia. I have some paranormal novels complete and some pretty good ideas for others, but I don't think that's the genre I'm going to pursue. After I published Paranoia, I had an idea for a satirical novel about the state of political correctness in this country and everybody's fear of offending everybody else. If I can continue to come up with current, controversial themes, I believe I will walk away with more fulfillment from the finished product.
AR: How can people learn more about your writings and other efforts?
JEB: I'm working on setting up a website, which will most likely be jebraun.com, but for now I can be found at www.myspace.com/jebraun. I will keep it updated with news about Paranoia as well as upcoming events.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
JEB: I appreciate everybody who took the time to read this and hope you will all read Paranoia. If you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it, you will not be disappointed. If you like it, spread the word! I am currently holding open auditions for fan club president. :)
AR: Thanks again, J.E., and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!