Nick Yetto of Clarksville has published his first novel, “Sommelier of Deformity,” and is at work on another, to examine the meaning of truth, about a real-life con woman who “cured” people through radio waves. Yetto’s picaresque novel is narrated by Buddy Hayes — “a connoisseur of the unwanted, a sommelier of deformity, a coveter of the unloved” — who lives a solitary life in a run-down upstate New York town, Ilium, residing with his mother and grandfather, a World War II veteran and a double amputee. Buddy suffers from scoliosis and his view of himself as ugly. He finds both love and work online as a web designer, pretending a familiarity with New York City. His life changes when a handsome black man, and one-time actor, is hired to care for his grandfather. Yetto, in this week’s Enterprise podcast, says he drew on his own love for his grandfather and his own desires as a young man to succeed in New York City to write the novel. While Yetto has found satisfaction with his life writing novels, and now a screenplay, as well as developing websites, as he and his wife raise their children in Clarksville, the closing chapter in his novel has Buddy Hayes riding a train to New York City.
The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.