A Violet Light - by Ian Sternthal (Paperback)

About the Book

After pulling himself out of a frozen lake, Adrian stumbles into town. What begins as a lively dinner conversation with a new friend becomes a haunting meditation on mortality--with a final twist that changes everything.

"A wondrous ode to friendship, loss, life and what may follow." - Eric Siblin, bestselling author of The Cello Suites
"Beautiful and heartbreaking and moving and so smart!" - Suzanne Zelazo, author of Lances All Alike
"A beautiful story... " - Anthony Wexler, University Writing Program, Johns Hopkins University
"One of the most powerful pieces of writing I've ever read... " - J.S.
"A MUST read for Leonard Cohen fans... " - Penni Kolb, executive director of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim

What happens to our dead? Is someone looking out for them on the other side? A Violet Light takes up these questions, exposing fiction's power to imagine what might happen to us on the other side of life. After a fatal accident, a young artist named Adrian finds himself seated at a table with an esteemed guide: the Montreal legend, Leonard Cohen. Together, over the course of a long meal at an idyllic bistro, the dead artists reflect on the meaning of their lives--the struggle to love, the pursuit of fame, and the pleasure of friendship. And slowly, with Leonard's help, Adrian experiences a form of self-acceptance denied him in life.

Book Synopsis

After pulling himself out of a frozen lake, Adrian stumbles into town. What begins as a lively dinner conversation with a new friend becomes a haunting meditation on mortality--with a final twist that changes everything.

"A wondrous ode to friendship, loss, life and what may follow." - Eric Siblin, bestselling author of The Cello Suites
"Beautiful and heartbreaking and moving and so smart!" - Suzanne Zelazo, author of Lances All Alike
"A beautiful story... " - Anthony Wexler, University Writing Program, Johns Hopkins University
"One of the most powerful pieces of writing I've ever read... " - J.S.
"A MUST read for Leonard Cohen fans... " - Penni Kolb, executive director of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim

What happens to our dead? Is someone looking out for them on the other side? A Violet Light takes up these questions, exposing fiction's power to imagine what might happen to us on the other side of life. After a fatal accident, a young artist named Adrian finds himself seated at a table with an esteemed guide: the Montreal legend, Leonard Cohen. Together, over the course of a long meal at an idyllic bistro, the dead artists reflect on the meaning of their lives--the struggle to love, the pursuit of fame, and the pleasure of friendship. And slowly, with Leonard's help, Adrian experiences a form of self-acceptance denied him in life.