| About Van Allen's Ecstasy |
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The critically acclaimed novel by Jim Tushinski, first published in 2004, has been reprinted by Lethe Press. A richly imagined and beautifully written story of family, obsession, and one man's search for identity, Van Allen's Ecstasy has been optioned by Guest House Films for motion picture adaptation. Order the book from Amazon.com
 Synopsis
Born into an extraordinarily talented family, 29-year-old Michael Van Allen is the son of a well-known concert pianist and an equally famous painter. All his life, he has yearned for the talent and creativity that should have been his birthright but have somehow been denied him. When he wakes up in a mental hospital, his memory gone, his former life erased, his doctor tells him of his screaming breakdown during one of his father’s performances. Van Allen's Ecstasy is the story of Michael's journey in search of his former self. As he pieces together his forgotten life, Michael uncovers jealousy, obsession, and secret desires that threaten to destroy his sanity once again. In Van Allen’s Ecstasy, Michael finds himself precariously balanced, teetering on the thin line between obsession and insanity. Why was he institutionalized? Why can't he remember his life, his family, his identity? Did he go over the edge by himself, or was he manipulated by someone else? And who is "Sasha," the ghostly presence that haunts him with mysterious advice? Exploring the misty remnants of his former life, Michael searches for the answers that will either free him to face reality or send him careening over the brink of insanity. Returning to the apartment he used to share with Paul, his lover, Michael discovers traces of his former life, including the journal he'd been hiding away from everyone. In its pages, his agonizing journey in search of home, reconnection, and love begins to take shape. But what is the destination: redemption or madness? Van Allen's Ecstasy will keep you wondering until the very last page. |
