Spilt Wine

Introduction

This is a complete rewrite of my first novel, originally published in 2015. In the recrafting process, I changed the point of view from limited third-person to first-person. Also, because it was my first venture into fiction after decades of writing and publishing nonfiction, the original story was rather mechanical, so I've added character depth and motivation.

As we shall see, David is a very complex person, and some of his unusual behaviour is explained by his autism, alexithymia and demisexuality. The last two words had not yet been coined when this story was set in 1986, nor were their diverse symptoms and manifestations understood. Autism was ill-defined and misinterpreted when he started school in 1950.

His personality is modelled on mine, and the reminiscences, stories and timelines follow events from my own life, sometimes slightly juggled to fit the crafting of this novel.

Although this is a work of fiction, most of the locations, many of the adventures and some of the characters in it are real or based in reality. Fortunately, the crimes and the criminals are fictional, and any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.

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Dedication

To Edith,
my reservations agent
at CP Air in Vancouver

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Copyright © 2024 by Michael Walsh
Cover by Michelle Arzú

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to: photocopying, scanning, recording or information storage and retrieval, without permission in writing from the author.

In accordance with the Wattpad guidelines, this story is not rated as Mature, though there are occasional uses of strong language, some violence, and a few sexually suggestive passages. All of these are appropriate and necessary for moving the story forward.