The destinies of Amel and Ra'anan are intertwined, though they cannot yet realize it. The differences and striking similarities of their worlds unfold in a beautifully rendered sequence that swiftly leads to a single moment of transcendent connection, a moment that requires Ra'anan to decide whether he will follow someone else's commands and destroy Amel's life, or make the unilateral decision to follow his own heart.
Reviews
"So much information and emotion is compacted into this slim story. Katsaropoulos takes a political position on what has led to this impasse... He uses this novel to bring out a different viewpoint to the crisis in the Mideast with a message that gives the reader something to think about after finishing the story."
--Merle, Amazon reviewer
"What impressed me in this story wasn't the ending, but the writing. It was really well done, very evocative, with really excellent world-building from so few words. The writing takes you right to the location, and has you walking by the side of the characters, hearing what they heard, seeing what they saw, feeling what they felt. It was all of that which made me consider this to be a worthy read."
--ianwoodnovellum.blogspot.com
"Unilateral was so good that after reading it, I immediately read Antiphony, Chris Katsaropoulos' previous novel published in 2011. Read together they make a nice contrast in plot development, writing styles, and epiphany experiences."
"Antiphony is the story of a physicist whose attempts to explain his life's work at a conference of his peers and ensure his promotion to department head become sadly derailed. He loses his notes before his presentation, and spirals into a psychological abyss in which he either discovers the meaning of the universe, or loses his grip on reality, depending on the reader's point of view. His responses to his life crises are compelling, and encourage pondering of relationships, religious experiences, and physics, especially its New Age interpretations. The book exhibits the author's extensive knowledge of String Theory, music, and the academic life. If you like an experimental style combined with metaphysical content, you will enjoy this book."
"Unilateral was inspiring because of the character development, dialog, and descriptive use of setting to advance the story line. Theological implications are presented in a humanistic light, and the relationships are very true to life. Amel is a female Palestinian student and Ra'anan is a young Israeli bomber pilot whose destinies are intertwined in much the same way as the lives of the main characters in Antiphony but with a very different outcome."
"The story is convincing, and the treatment of the conflict in the Middle East is timely. The reader really cares about what happens to these two young people who face so many challenges in their lives in these war-torn areas. It is a short book that holds your attention to the end."
"Read them both if you want to experience a double epiphany."
--Sylvia Andrews, Amazon registered purchase review
"This is a beautifully and lyrically written story in an allegorical style similar to The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. Two people living on opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hope for an end to war, but what can they as individuals do?"
"Can the choices made by one person change the course of a war, or the world? If everyone, as an individual, made a different choice, the choice of love over hate, the answer would be yes."
--Heidi, Amazon registered purchase review
No comments:
Post a Comment