The Reverend Sarah Obadias is broken, bitter, and stripped of the reassurance of faith when she walks into a West Village restaurant in Manhattan. Here she encounters Abraham Darby, a rumpled but well-regarded painter who seduces the minister into his life of excess and emotional intensity. "I've run away from my life," Sarah tells him. "I know," Darby replies. "Take mine." But for Sarah, each day with the artist will bring a new reality--or lack of it.
Dancing through the novel is the mystical Yago, the gay son of Darby and the Costa Rican painter Alejandra Morales Díaz. But Alejandra's appearance further discomposes Sarah, and Yago provides no calm or clarity when she encounters him: "Somehow he has transported her to an unfamiliar state of mindless eroticism. Finally she draws closer to Yago, intending to caress him in some horrible mix of mothering and lust."
Bloodlines become squiggled and unreliable as the novel explores the ever-changing relationship between fathers and sons and what constitutes a family. Throughout, one question lingers: What really did happen when a small boy was swallowed by the sea?
Laced with humor and a linguistic vibrancy, this tale of converging fates becomes a contemplation of faith, faithfulness, and the sticky, often unpleasant and frightening nature of spiritual and emotional growth.
About the Author :
Georgeann Packard is a writer, designer, and photographer. Her first novel, Fall Asleep Forgetting, was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards in 2010.
Robin Miles, named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, has won several Audie Awards and many Earphones Awards and AudioFile Best of the Year accolades.
Kirby Heyborne is an accomplished actor, musician, and comedian. He has received critical acclaim for his starring roles in the award-winning World War II drama Saints and Soldiers, the lighthearted family comedy The R.M., the award-winning boy-band mockumentary The Sons of Provo, and the award-winning quixotic comedy Pirates of the Great Salt Lake. He has had starring roles in thirteen features and many short films. Kirby has also appeared on the WB's Everwood and many national commercials. Recently, Kirby was seen as a recurring character on the hit FOX sitcom Free Ride. Kirby has received a number of AudioFile Earphones Awards for excellence in audiobook narration. He has narrated such titles as Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Breathers by S. G. Browne, and The Genius by Jesse Kellerman. Kirby is a cofounder and director of the celebrated Los Angeles-based improv comedy group The Society. Also a successful musician, Kirby has released four solo albums and has had his music featured in many films. Kirby has delighted audiences across the country with his ability to blend heart-warming stories, beautiful music, and comedic wit.
Review :
"Beginning to end, the novel is a deeply poetic meditation 'about life, about trust. About God. About death' Brilliantly imagined and rendered."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
"Highlighting a unique intersection of the gay, artistic, and religious communities, Packard challenges readers to look closely at their beliefs about death, sexuality, and the constructs of family. Rich descriptions of art and overt sensuality lend beauty to this provocative story of loss and hope."
-- "Booklist"
"The story reads like a prose poem--emotional significance comes across in the sparsely told daily machinations of the lives of a few intentionally but tenuously connected New Yorkers...Packard weaves a dreamy yet well-paced narrative with richly developed characters who gradually come to discover that life is always going on--whether they're watching or not."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
