Sam Bennett is the last of a dying breed, a former Mad Man, now made redundant after thirty years at the same advertising agency. Left with his awards and a case of Bulgarian whiskey (which he still can't remember buying), Sam retreats to his home, awaits the summer arrival of his daughter and crazy son-in-law, is plagued by panic attacks and has an incident involving a pressed ham on a liquor store window with Max, the young security guard from Sam's former office building.

With the ground feeling like a trampoline, Sam sets out to do the one thing Mary, his wife, wants more than anything else?a grandchild. It won't be easy with Muller, his suicidal son-in-law, jumping off roofs an drinking green paint, or chasing after Max the security guard's mom, but life is full of surprises. As Sam's doctor Krupsky tells him, "Life's a crapshoot. At least you filled the cheap seats."

Sam is about to learn the greatest lessons in life, even if that means stealing his neighbor's pot, and getting more people stoned than he ever imagined possible.

Robert Cormack spent thirty-six years in advertising before beginning You Can Lead a Horse to Water. His short stories have appeared regularly in Rosebud Magazine along with numerous other publications, including one anthology. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada.

Robert Bruce Cormack's profile page

"With a pitch-perfect ear for dialogue and a delightfully wacky assortment of characters, Robert Bruce Cormack's novel takes his hapless hero, Sam Bennett, on an uproarious odyssey. Initially depressed and having panic attacks after being fired from his adman career, Sam's life takes him on an outrageous series of twists and turns that include his son-in-law Muller's get-rich-quick schemes, a foul-mouthed Mynah bird, salsa classes with his long-suffering wife, Mary, pool parties with his nudist neighbors, and plenty more. Cormack's absurd yet dry sense of humor runs through it all: 'Any plans for the New Year?' Sam asks his doctor. 'At my age, Sam? What do I have to resolve?' What, indeed."?Myna Wallin, author of Confessions of A Reluctant Cougar

". . . a picaro's tale with dialog miscues straight out of Catch-22 and an unsung genius who might have wandered in from A Confederacy of Dunces"?Ben East, author of Sea Never Dry