A novel about a family even more dysfunctional than the one you grew up in.
Will's Surreal Period is a richly satisfying tale?at times laugh-out-loud hilarious and at times deeply moving?that features a rollickingly dysfunctional family, a seemingly endless array of succulent foodstuffs, and a brain tumor that transforms a mediocre painter into a virtuoso. Now toss in a smidgen of BDSM and a few beguiling tidbits exploring brain chemistry and human evolution, and you have a story that will hook you fast and captivate you till the end.
?Will's Surreal Period proves why works of fiction are high art. . . . Robert Steven Goldstein deftly converts our raw human foibles into emotive entertainment and, as he does, reminds us, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously, who we are.?
?MICHAEL J. COFFINO, award-winning author of Truth Is in the House
Autorentext
Robert Steven Goldstein retired from his job as a healthcare information executive at age fifty-six and has been writing novels ever since. His first novel, The Swami Deheftner, about problems that ensue when ancient magic and mysticism manifest in the twenty-first century, has developed a small cult following in India. His second novel, Enemy Queen, an erotic thriller set in a North Carolina college town, was published in 2020, and was a finalist in the category of cross genre fiction for the International Book Awards. His third novel, Cat's Whisker, published in 2021, probes the perceived rift between science and spirituality; an excerpt from Cat's Whisker, entitled "An Old Dog," was featured in the fall 2018 edition of the literary journal Leaping Clear. Will's Surreal Period is his fourth novel. Robert lives in San Francisco with Sandy, his wife of thirty-three years, and Cali, a fearless, lovable Akita/cattle dog. Robert has practiced yoga, meditation, and vegetarianism for more than fifty years.
Klappentext
But health issues lead him to a neurologist, where Will discovers that his new artistic style is the result of a life-threatening brain tumor. He must decide whether to have surgery to remove it?relegating him to painting once again in the drab style that defined his years of anonymity?or allow the tumor to grow and most likely kill him.
To make matters worse, William and his wife Rosemary are struggling financially, having been disowned by William's father Arthur, a cantankerous and homophobic old widower. Arthur is cared for by his younger son, Bertram, in a big house in Scarsdale, New York. But when Bertram, a gay man in the closet due to his fear of being disinherited, finally comes out, Arthur decides to switch allegiance to Will and move to California.
A mess ensues.
And it remains to be seen whether Laurel, a portly, progressively minded California real estate agent who's taken an improbable liking to Arthur, will make the situation better?or worse.