Believers in Love

Believers in Love, Alan Clay, Artmedia Publishing, 2001

Sax is a divorced man with custody of daughter Sarah. They have become a father-daughter sand castle sculpture team, and are invited to participate in an arts festival in Auckland, New Zealand. Along the way, Zoe, a chalk artist, joins the group. Sax and Zoe put out a hat for donations, and agree to split the proceeds.

Adam, the organizer of the Auckland festival, is dismissed from his job after making too many enemies in the city government. He becomes the trio's manager when they are invited to do their thing inside a shopping mall in Adelaide, Australia. As Sax and Zoe become close, things get difficult as politics rears its head and the various relationships are tested: Sax and Zoe, Sax and Sarah and Zoe and Sarah. Throughout much of this emotional journey, Sarah is accompanied by Firefly, her angel.

This one is excellent. Interspersed with some unique, almost Zen vignettes, this is quite a story of love and emotions and relationships. In lyrical, almost poetic, writing, the author does a fine job with this tale of life itself. It is well worth the reader's time.