Searching for Van Gogh: a novel
published by Omena Hills Press
Michigan 1963: The country is on the brink of wrenching social change. Audrey Brubaker—young, impulsive, unafraid of taking risks—has been knocked down by life. Still, she has a plan for fighting back, inspired by a cinematic heroine. She meets Nate Walker, a math and science student whose life has taken a wrong turn after his brother's death and who has turned to art in an effort to find his way.
A friendship ensues that borders romance but never quite seems to get there. Or does it? One thing is certain: it will provide the solace and resilience each needs to carry on, leading to an outcome neither could have foreseen.
From the streets of a decaying rust-belt city to the pristine forests of northern Michigan, Lystra weaves a narrative that tugs at your heartstrings and compels you to reflect on life and its complexities. If you loved timeless classics like "Ordinary People" and "To Kill a Mockingbird," this book is a must-read!
Readers are LOVING this coming-of-age literary masterpiece:
"The story and the characters are marvelous. One has to love Audrey with all her eccentricities and flaws. How did (the author) manage to do that?"
- Dennis Turner, author of the bestselling "What Did You Do
During the War, Sister?"
"Don't miss this one..... There is a deliberate carefulness, a delicacy even, that characterizes Lystra's writing..... I'm not sure how he does it, but it works...... And in the process, he is doing the writer's job - telling the truth, one true sentence at a time. This is fine writing of the highest caliber. My very highest recommendation."
– TIM BAZZETT, author of BOOKLOVER and four other titles
“Calling this book a coming-of-age story doesn't do it justice… set in1963 America, in the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the Kennedy assassination….Lystra has given the readermuch to think about which may be equally pertinent in the very troubled America we live in today.”
–Goodreads reviewer
"This is such a beautiful coming-of-age novel about two young people who connect over traumatic events they slowly reveal to one another...... Lystra takes a magnifying glass to the moments of possibility...... As the novel progresses, Lystra whittles the truth out of the events the characters experience in a way that feels exactly right as you arrive at the very last page. A wonderful novel."
– Amazon Reviewer
__________________________________________________
| 
