MIRACLE AND WONDER

Abstract

On the surface, my novel is based on the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and uses the fictional genre of magical realism. In the Rockies of Colorado, a couple inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice live a fulfilling life. Their life together is idyllic without being unrealistic. The wife dies a slow and ugly death from cancer. Despair fills the man as he comes to realize that he is losing her. She dies, and he is despondent. Lost in a cloud of memories, he exists without purpose or meaning. Over time, he becomes convinced that if there is an afterlife, as his faith suggests, he can locate her in Hell. He sets off to rescue her. His travels to find his love share elements of Dante’s journey to the center of Hell. Different American cities fill in as various levels of Hell as portrayed in Inferno. Along the way, he picks up a traveling companion, a young woman traveling alone and wanting protection on her journey. Reality and sanity crumble and shatter his self-confidence as the man begins to suspect that she may be the incarnation of Eurydice. He questions how well he knew his wife and love. Reality begins to fragment as the man and his companion move closer to the center of Hell. They wander through the strange surroundings. The woman worries about advances from her fellow wanderer as they experience a transformative spiraling relationship with an explosive finish. In the end, as in the original Greek Orpheus and Eurydice myth, Eurydice cannot return to earth. Worse, the Orpheus character discovers that his wife is not the original Eurydice; they have failed to sync up in this lifetime. Indeed, his traveling companion is Eurydice, but she is too young in this time frame. Orpheus must decide whether to rejoin his wife in Hell or try to make his life work with the real Eurydice.