Tristan Wishnasky seems to have it all: a successful career as a cynical novelist in love with the Void, a romantic relationship with a formidable woman, and admission to the parties and revelries of the glitterati. But just when he's confident nothing can stop his stupendous rise, he begins to hallucinate mysterious messages telling him he's wasting his life.
When the messages don't stop, he turns to his atheist lover, his oracular psychotherapist, and an ingenious female rabbi for guidance and direction. Where has he gone wrong? How should he be living?
In his search for self-knowledge, Tristan lurches from the art galleries of the famous to the homeless shelters of the abandoned; from the arms of college dean Vanessa to the bed of struggling actress Barbara; from a career that ignores every claim beyond ego to the company of people trying to rescue the imperiled Earth.
As he learns to destroy every false image that's ever laid claim to him, he begins to think possible a life that deeply, truly matters.
About the Author :
Mark E. Leib's short works have appeared in Boston Review, Jewish Fiction.net, Adelaide Literary Magazine, American Theatre and elsewhere. His theatre plays have been produced in New York, Chicago, Cambridge, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Edinburgh and Singapore. His theatre criticism in the Tampa Bay area has earned seven awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists, including three first-place Sunshine State awards. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he won the CBS Foundation Prize in Playwriting, and of Harvard College. He teaches fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting at the University of South Florida. Visit markeleib.me.
Review :
"Image Breaker is a breathtaking rarity-a novel that begins in faithlessness and strives toward hope, a takedown of intellectual excess that is unabashedly learned, a quest for love that never loses sight of the human comedy. Mark E. Leib's much-praised dramatic skills are on full display in this moving, provocative, and entertaining novel, one you'll think about-and talk with friends about-well beyond its generous conclusion." John Fleming, author of Songs for the Deaf
"Mark Leib writes beautifully, and he knows how to tell a story. His protagonist Tristan Wishnasky is a writer on a mission, not just to be the best there is, but to undo the bleakness of his past writings. He faces a crisis of belief, in the deepest sense; and because of that crisis, he must confront everything he previously believed, including the non-existence of a Higher Power in his own life. Only a writer as good as Mark Leib is could pull off this literary juggling act, of writing an entertainment that moves the reader, but also he gives us a book that may just change our lives. Reader, be forewarned. Here is a writer asking you directly if you are ready for the challenge." M. G. Stephens, author of King Ezra and The Brooklyn Book of the Dead
"Image Breaker tells the story of Tristan Wishnasky, a successful novelist, who experiences an unexpected vision that threatens to upend his seemingly comfortable life. Part academic satire, part existential quest, Image-Breaker is a perfectly structured book filled with delicious literary allusions, hilarious moments, and crackling dialogue. In this deeply moving story of a middle-aged man attempting to come to terms with faith, love, and of course, himself, Mark Leib establishes his genius." Heather Sellers, author of You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know
