"A style reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism." - Red City Review.
We are all one.
We have always been and will always be.
We are a mirror to all and the measure of none.
I hope I have captured that sentiment not only in the story but also in the style and structure of this book.
The story is one of lost love, discovery, self-realization and redemption. We find our protagonist Roland Hughes stuck in a semi-comfortable little rut as he thoughtlessly muddles through life. Fate drags him out of his rut and he chooses to go on a misadventure that leaves him reeling and wishing for a chance to make things right. Roland gets his chance via an unexpected trip back in time to the Renaissance where all along, the stage is being set for him by events and a cast of characters who encompass the extant of the human condition.
The story is told by an omniscient narrator at a pace that allows the generations of characters to grow over time and experience the changes in their lives as something organic. All of the characters carry and support each other, and their individual stories are threads woven into the colorful tapestry that is the Alchemist Gift.
Each one of us perceives time differently even though the span of seconds and minutes and hours, years and decades are exactly the same. Our thoughts and memories and circumstances cause time to be in a constant flux and non-lineal.
What happens to time when we are caught up in an extraordinary moment that transcends everything we know and delivers us to a place beyond our comprehension?
When is a dream a glimpse into our subconscious and when is it a visit to a different reality? While we sleep and dream where is our essence?
Can anyone find spiritual satisfaction in today's morality, attitudes and values as compared to those of the Renaissance?
The use of superstition and magic and the plight and treatment of women are some ongoing themes that are interwoven and supported by the plot and characters in a time when a woman could be thought of as weak and inferior or even a witch. Find yourself in one of the many resilient, strong and vital women who inhabit the pages of this novel.
Time Travel to the Age of Alchemy
Grad student Roland Hughes' life and future are not as set in stone as he thinks. Of late he is haunted by visions of Renaissance men and women whose actions set into motion the impossible, a leap through time to the era Roland has studied and so romanticized. His misunderstandings, jealousy, assumptions, and his dark imaginings lead him to cheat on his longtime girlfriend, Liz. Roland pays dearly for his fling and desperately wishes for a second chance. The cosmos hears and provides everything needed for Roland's journey to self-understanding and redemption. While Roland's and Liz's story unfolds in present day San Diego, we are privy to the lives of those very people who have come to him in visions and dreams, as they set the stage for Roland's life in 1500's Bavaria. For Roland, no matter when or where, the temptations are the same. Will he get it right this time?
