Approaching the Speed of Light
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
It's said that the flapping of a butterfly's wing can start a chain reaction that leads to an unstoppable storm. In the same way, random twists of fate and transitory acts of kindness and cruelty can shape our destinies, just as we affect the people around us . . . sometimes in ways we can't possibly imagine.
Jody is a likable young man getting by in New York City at the turn of the millennium. On the surface, he seems to have it together, with friends, family, a decent job, and a steady string of girlfriends. But a secret history has left Jody scarred and broken inside, lacking faith in the future or himself. Like the ceaseless pull of a black hole, his buried secrets hold him back, defining him, until his trajectory crosses the path of three very different women, who, in their own ways, hold out the tantalizing possibility of healing, connection . . . or self-destruction.
VICTORIA LUSTBADER's Approaching the Speed of Light is a thoughtful, deeply moving tale about the things we cannot leave behind—and how, sometimes, we have to go through the black hole to come out the other side.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A young man begins to heal from childhood trauma with the help of a mysterious elderly spiritualist and a beautiful piano teacher. Beyond heartbreaking, this deeply evocative novel tells of young Jody Kowalczyk, who experienced the horrors of mental and physical cruelty from adults, and the deprivation of love and affection, safety and security, self-esteem and nurturing. Lustbader's depiction of Jody's early years is neither delicate nor subtle; his mother's boyfriend used him as a "human voodoo doll, punctured by his love, his rage, his guns ." But one day, while a teen, Jody has a brief, chance meeting in a doughnut shop with a beautiful woman, which propels him toward a new life, and the "promise of hope, rebirth." A decade later, Jody has an ordinary life with a steady job, lovers and a faithful, omniscient dog named Einstein. While on a job site at a seniors' home, Jody meets Tess, whose incredible vision helps Jody call out his demons, and who also leads him to Ella. He and Ella fall in love, helping each other to trust and heal. Lustbader's (Stone Creek) prose is remarkably eloquent as she takes on a wretched subject. She carefully mines Jody's damaged psyche, presenting a vivid and compelling portrait of a child trauma survivor.
Customer Reviews
Approaching the Speed of Light
Gut-wrenching, riveting, so thought provoking.