"HOUSE BOY" AUDIOBOOK PROJECT, from the novel by Lorenzo DeStefano (www.houseboynovel.com)

"HOUSE BOY" AUDIOBOOK PROJECT
from the novel by Lorenzo DeStefano
https://www.houseboynovel.com/

Author Lorenzo DeStefano and the Creative Visons Foundation are seeking funding support to produce and distribute an AUDIOBOOK of the award-winning 2022 novel, "HOUSE BOY".

HOUSE BOY AUDIOBOOK PROJECT (creativevisions.org)

https://creative-visions.networkforgood.com/projec...

BEHIND THE WINDOWS OF A HOUSE IN NORTH LONDON
EXIST DOMESTIC HORRORS
PERFORMED BY DESPERATE HUMAN BEINGS
UPON THEIR CHOSEN VICTIM
SUCH AS PASSERSBY COULD SCARCE IMAGINE

An urban thriller with socio-political and racial overtones, "HOUSE BOY" is a fact-based tale that dissects persistent caste discrimination and human slavery in India and how a particular case of this pernicious practice transplanted itself into the so-called "New World".

As an experienced storyteller in film, television, theater, fiction, and non-fiction, Lorenzo DeStefano, with his debut novel, “HOUSE BOY”, continues his focus on exploring the complexities and multiple interconnections that make up the human condition.

The HOUSE BOY AUDIOBOOK PROJECT, as a vital companion piece to the novel, is meant to make this story of modern slavery, human cruelty and resolve more accessible to readers and listeners worldwide.

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"HOUSE BOY" BOOK AWARDS

"HOUSE BOY" won the 2023 FEATHERED QUILL REVIEWERS CHOICE BOOK AWARD as well as the 2022 AMERICAN BOOK FEST FICTION AWARD in the "Multicultural Fiction" category. The book was also a FINALIST IN THE 2022 AMERICAN WRITING AWARDS in the "Thriller/Adventure Fiction" category as well as a "Notable Indie" in the 2022 SHELF UNBOUND WRITING COMPETITION.

"HOUSE BOY" inhabits a shadowland where ancient traditions take root and prosper in a polite suburb of North London. In an undistinguished house at 321 Finchley Lane, the lives of a young man and an older woman intersect as if decreed by history.

Vijay Pallan is a twenty-four year old Dalit from Chettipattu, a remote village in southern India, where untouchables like him live and die unnoticed. Binda Tagorstani, forty-six, is a wealthy widow from the upper castes, long assimilated into British life. Binda’s son, Ravi Tagorstani, is twenty-seven, a real estate tycoon with low self-esteem and a nasty mean streak.

Through these characters and many others, we are exposed to the harsh realities of human trafficking, the boundless capacity for human pain, and the ultimate blessing of even one man’s survival.

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"HOUSE BOY" BOOK REVIEWS

“Evocative imagery, sociopolitical relevance, and a compelling storyline. Vijay’s traumatic experiences transcend fiction and read like an authentic, contemporary depiction of the effects of the caste system and human trafficking.” - Kirkus Reviews

“'HOUSE BOY' offers quite a different focus and insights than most as it traverses the human psyche and its ability to perform, accept, or defy grave injustices. …rewards its audience with gripping moments and surprising revelations.” - Midwest Book Review

”Exposes, with empathy and striking prose, the slavery, assault, and general horror visited upon the poor, not just in India but persisting in western cities just out of sight.” Booklife

“Lorenzo DeStefano’s 'HOUSE BOY' is one of a kind, a painfully realistic page-turner that is both enthralling and horrifying. Haunting storytelling that will ground you and make you check your privilege. Its truth will compel you to demand a better world for everyone.” - Feathered Quill / Risah Salazar

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11 AUDIOBOOK EXCERPTS
by Suchitra Pillai

Excerpts also available at
https://www.houseboynovel.com/audiobook/

1. EXCERPT #1 OPENING PAGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bkLfsLQahM

2. EXCERPT #2 VIJAY READS CHARLES DICKENS
https://youtu.be/bx7B2oyzQR0

3. EXCERPT #3
BHIMA ATI INVITES VIJAY TO PLAY FOOTBALL
https://youtu.be/GV24f5PS8GA

4. EXCERPT #4
BHIMA ATI TAUNTS SAKTHI & AMALA PALLAN
https://youtu.be/jfv6Mu1_Hlk

5. EXCERPT #5
VIJAY PRAYS TO NATARAJA COSMIC DANCER
https://youtu.be/t14B8pTrnms

6. EXCERPT #6
SURENDAR PALLAN FAREWELL TO VIJAY AT RURAL TRANSIT STOP
https://youtu.be/p8dfO7XkvQo

7. EXCERPT #7 - SANTHANA GOPALAN TELLS VIJAY ABOUT THE BETTER LIFE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
https://youtu.be/Gle0nVeDUbI

8. EXCERPT #8 – MR. GUPTA INTRODUCES VIJAY TO THE BETTER LIFE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
https://youtu.be/6jPsowV1oGo

9. EXCERPT #9
BINDA REMINDS VIJAY ABOUT THEIR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT
https://youtu.be/MY9dQkwRnNs

10. EXCERPT #10 - BINDA THREATENS VIJAY OUTSIDE HIS SLEEPING CUPBOARD
https://youtu.be/_M33nabZDqs

11. EXCERPT #11
VIJAY SERVES BREAKFAST TO RAVI TAGORSTANI
https://youtu.be/6eLHWOwq-m8

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"HOUSE BOY" is available for purchase as a Trade Paperback
or eBook and can be ordered from...

www.houseboynovel.com

...from your local bookstore, or from many online retailers, including...

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/House-Boy-Lorenzo.../dp/163988243X/

Barnes and Noble - House Boy by Lorenzo DeStefano, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Book Depository - https://www.bookdepository.com/House-Boy.../9781639882434

Bookshop.org - https://bookshop.org/books/house-boy/9781639882434

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PHYSICAL COPY - $18.95 + SHIPPING
www.houseboynovel.com/product/house-boy/

EBOOK - $7.99
www.houseboynovel.com/product/house-boy-ebook/

KINDLE - $9.95
www.amazon.com/House-Boy-Lorenzo-DeStefano-ebook/d...

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MORE "HOUSE BOY" BOOK REVIEWS

“Lorenzo DeStefano’s ‘HOUSE BOY’ chronicles with authority and excruciating verisimilitude a tragedy of truly grotesque proportions. The trafficking and subsequent exploitation of human beings continues to this day, a loathsome criminal enterprise. The veracity of ‘HOUSE BOY’, delivered dramatically and cinematically, is both revelatory and compelling.” - Barry Gifford /Author

“’HOUSE BOY’ is a sharp look into a normally dark and hidden place. The story rocks and rolls and surprises as it peels away the layers hiding slavery in plain sight in London today. Just don’t think this happens only in London. Likely as not, it’s where you live, too. A great read.” – Kevin Bales/Author

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began this book. It grabbed me and I could not put it down. Lorenzo DeStefano demonstrates a skillful command of detail, not only in the unforgettable characters, but in the setting, the culture clash, the horrors inflicted on the protagonist, the murder, and the very entertaining trial. Very impressive and a completely satisfying read.” - Randal Kleiser/Film Director

“’HOUSE BOY’ is an enthralling book about the persistent caste discrimination and human slavery in India. As an Indian, as much as I hate to accept the extent to which such crimes take place, I can’t turn a blind eye to the ground realities. This book is a scary yet brutally honest display of the crimes in the name of caste and slavery. Filled with anger against social issues, Lorenzo DeStefano’s ‘HOUSE BOY’ is a gut-wrenching read”. - Falguni Jain / Book Reviewer - India

“Have you ever read a book that left you so bewildered, so shattered that you are left gasping, skulking around corners, not to mention the kind of explicitness that exists in reality? Well, I just happened to finish 'HOUSE BOY' by Lorenzo DeStefano and boy, was I smacked on the head. A powerfully written saga portraying the horrible atrocities of human trafficking and exploitation of the subordinate class, Lorenzo's writing is intense, painting a painful picture of those who are caught unwillingly in this horrible travesty of serf suffering. Merciless, cruel, yet brutally real.” - Neelam Sharma/Book Reviewer - India

“I rarely use terms such as 'unputdownable' in my reviews but on this occasion it is the perfect adjective to describe this book. It is hugely powerful, and I can confidently say that it is the best book that I have read this year.”
Left On The Shelf UK

“'HOUSE BOY' is an important novel for raising awareness of a human tragedy that is all too often kept out of sight, its victims often also unfairly blamed for the predicament in which they find themselves.” – Literary Flits UK

“'HOUSE BOY' is an amazing read that took me on an unexpected journey. It is a horror story about human trafficking, modern day slavery, and the power of the human spirit to endure. Though filled with descriptions of violent acts that are challenging to read, the book is pleasantly counterpointed with beautiful prose. I could not put this book down. House Boy has forever left me altered the way all profoundly great books should.” – Library Thing

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AUDIOBOOK COMING SOON