Yard Work

By: David Koepp

Narrated by: Kevin Bacon

This wasn’t the plan. Judge Herman Calvert, 88, never thought he’d outlive his beloved wife, Marie.

Yet now he finds himself alone, a grieving widower, desperate for escape from the home they built together, where every turn brings a painful reminder of his late wife.

So the judge retreats to his lake cabin in rural Wisconsin, a place where an old man can find peace and solitude. A place where nature can take its course.

But something new has moved in.

The judge’s property is crawling with Persicaria perfoliata, an invasive vine that has no earthly business in Wisconsin lake country. And this plant has teeth. Its barbs and tendrils have snaked deep into the ground, choking the life out of everything they touch, including the old oak tree he and Marie planted on their honeymoon.

If the judge doesn’t do something fast, the vine will take everything he has left. And it won’t stop there. He believes it’s after him.

Yard Work is a new original story by acclaimed screenwriter, director, and novelist David Koepp. Koepp has written or cowritten the screenplays for more than 30 films, including Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Panic Room, War of the Worlds, Ghost Town, and Angels and Demons. His latest film, the Universal Pictures/Blumhouse thriller You Should Have Left, starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried, is streaming now. His debut novel, Cold Storage, which The New York Times hailed as “pure, unadulterated entertainment”, was published by Ecco in 2019 and is out in paperback this month.

©2020 David Koepp (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

if you are a gardener, you will love it!

Another beauty produced by audible originals! I do enjoy these short, 2-hour stories that resonate with the listener in such a short time.

David Koepp wrote the story which Kevin Bacon narrates. Koepp’s idea germinated while he was battling invasive vines that were blown in by Hurricane Sandy. Any gardener can relate to the frustrations of invasive weeds, especially those with long tenacles that seem to reproduce and grow at an alarming rate. I recall cleaning my garden in the spring, pulling out all the “rooty” weeds, looking for the root ball. I was convinced there was a mother plant somewhere deep in my beautiful garden that was sprouting all these pesky viny weeds that were choking my beautiful perennials. I stayed out in the rain, digging for that elusive mother plant. So, I more than chuckled while listening to this story. This story is so relatable…in many ways.

The story opens with an 88-year-old retired judge who has just buried his wife. Their plan was for her to die first, as the actuary tables promise. Given she will live longest, she made all the life decisions regarding the house, appliances, furniture etc. because he wanted her to be comfortable once he died. Of course, she dies first. He’s angry because, well, she’s dead. But also, because the house just reminds him that she’s dead. So, he decides to move to their lake home in Wisconsin. Fine, accept that once he arrives he discovers that there are invasive vines that are smothering all his trees, especially the ones he planted with his wife and daughter. He determines to fight those vines.

Hence is the story of “Yard Work”. It gets silly, but it’s so relatable. It’s the story of man versus nature, and I think most of us have gone into that battle in one way or another. Author David Koepp has written screen plays and a novel. This is a beautiful work of literature with astounding voice work by Kevin Bacon. I loved the judge and rooted (no pun intended) for him and his vine-battle. This is a fun audible original.

pretty good

randomly found my mind wandering so the story could have been stronger but there were definitely some awesome scenes.

Unexpected treasure

I loved this little vignette about aging, family nature and alien plant life. You have to listen to it despite your misgivings. You won’t be sorry!

Yard Work is a great story about aging and working outside!

This story relates well to the lives of older men struggling with problems of old age when they try to continue to do yard work and deal with family and memories. It’s also a metaphor for the nearly sentience of nature in the battle with the homeowner. It’s both amusing and gripping.

nice listen, bad B4 bed though

good story. believable and well written. a couple bad edits in the narrative (not the narration which was supreme). drove me nuts.

Great story

Excellent short with a mind-bending twist. Kevin Bacon's performance was absolutely stellar. Left me wanting more!

Attention Holding

We enjoyed this story. Especially liked Kevin Bacon’s reading of it. I hope he does more both the author and teader

Great story, great narration

In this compelling short story, we witness a man's epic battle with old age, the loss of a loved one, and the ultimately victorious forces of nature.

Arthur Miller would be proud

Yard Work reminded me of the play Death of a Salesman, but with a horror fiction twist. We all grieve in our own way and the Judge is no different.

I loved it, riveting! a condensed Stephen King

fantastic writing, what a great story, we'll never think of gardening or trail clearing the same way again