Into the Ocean

Brett Bernauer settles scores. Most often it’s for others. He works with a hammer and “ … uses the tool during the day for work, fixing things. He uses it at night to fix people.” There’s painful backgrounds in Brett’s story. The same goes for his sister, Sarah. Returning to a town they fled after their mother passes invites their past and all the ugliness it holds. Stanton McCaffery has penned a hell of a debut novel here, one that will keep your eyes on the page and your heart in your throat. “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” The saying is attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, and it remains as appropriate a game plan today as it did 500 years ago. McCaffery’s, Into the Ocean is a wonderfully told reminder to us all.
- Charlie Stella, Tommy Red

Madison Park New Jersey was once filled with automobile and pharmaceutical plants. Not any longer. Much of the town now struggles with unemployment and a heroin epidemic. Brett Bernauer has an anger problem. He works fixing people’s houses and their roofs. After hours, he focuses his attention on sexual predators. He grew up in Madison Park but moved out after a troubled childhood. When his mother dies, Brett and his sister Sarah are forced back to their hometown where they confront again the people that tormented them decades ago. Only now, those people make up the police department and head the local drug ring. After a series of run-ins with local cops and criminals, Brett concludes the only way to determine the future is to settle the past.

Stanton McCaffery was born and raised in central New Jersey, where he resides with his wife and son. He has degrees in history and political science. His stories have been featured in Acidic Fiction, Heater Magazine, Out of the Gutter Online, and Between Worlds.