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ONLY A MESSENGER

ONLY A MESSENGER  ISBN: 978-0-936050-34-8          EVENTS
author: Sumner Carnahan 
200 pp., 6.875 x 4.25 in., offset, paper covers

$14.00

• read Charles Shere's review here
• read review at Goodreads here

At first he decided to devote his life to finding her killer. The novel opens with a “summary abstract” outlining a tale of tragedy, betrayal, and redemption. The story is subsequently revealed through the notebook entries of a young scientist from San Diego, and the diaries of a visionary, but ill-fated, Oaxacan girl, with whom he falls in love and marries. Her unexplained death and his resulting grief send him into a crucible of madness. His attempt to merge diverse worlds leads to telling revelations about greed and honesty, imagination and integrity, bringing into focus two different approaches to knowledge of the natural world.

excerpt: I am fourteen-and-a-half years old, Mi Diario. Colibri is the name I have chosen for myself. It names the tiny bird that flits from flower to flower with speed and skill. Never stationary, its wings in motion make a blur of color. Though it is the smallest bird in the world, Colibri is “pugnacious” (it says in a book from mi madre).

SUMNER CARNAHAN has collaborated with composers, performers, and artists for decades to present her writing “off the page.” She was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and lives in Santa Fe. She has nine books in print and numerous recordings of her work. This is her first novel.

• Mary-Charlotte Domandi interviews Quadrants Series authors, including Sumner Carnahan, on the "Radio Cafe," KSFR 101.1 FM  ((( play audio )))

For more information about Sumner Carnahan click here.

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