LIGHTNING PEOPLE is a compelling story of the complexities
of life in the big city; the alienation, uncertainty, and
sacrifices inherent in trying to survive in an impersonal
yet captivating world...the kind of world that would lead you
to stand at the top of a tall building in a lightning storm
in an effort to recapture something familiar and personal.
Post-9/11 New York City is a strong supporting player in
this tale of Joseph Guiteau and his new wife Delphine
Kousavos who rushed them in to marriage for a green card and
to escape her dreary job at a city park. Joseph, a working
actor, is afraid that a tragic family history is about to
catch up with him. Joseph, trying to make sense of his
personal history and the world he now lives in, attends
gatherings of conspiracy groups in between auditions and
spending time with Del. We also get to know those whose
lives intersect with Joseph and Del: Madi, conflicted
entrepreneur and Del's best friend, her brother Raj, a
photographer and Del's former lover, and William, an actor
who finds desperation setting in as his career is fading.
LIGHTNING PEOPLE,Christopher Bollen's debut novel, is a
beautifully crafted story full of intriguing characters and
unpredictable plot twists. Mr. Bollen has an almost lyrical
writing style that he uses to craft strong images of both
the characters and the city they inhabit. The story is rich
with the mystery revolving around the characters: their
past, their motivations, and the choices they will make to
direct their futures. Underlying this mystery is a battle
between destiny and free-will, each character to some extent
struggles between what must be and what could be.
Joseph Guiteau is a working actor who moved to New York to escape a tragic family history in the Midwest. Wandering through a city transformed by the attacks of September 2001, he frequents gatherings of conspiracy groups, trying to make sense of world events and his own personal history. Looming over his life is a secret that threatens to undermine his new marriage to Del, a snake expert at a city park, whose work visa is the only thread keeping her from deportation back to her native Greece. The new marriage influences the lives of those around them: William, a dark and troubled actor whose sanity is fading as quickly as his career, leading him to perform increasingly desperate acts; Madi, a young entrepreneur who will have to face the moral complications of a business made successful by the outsourcing of American jobs to India; and her brother Raj, Del's former lover, a promising photographer whose work details the empty rooms of an increasingly alienated city. Christopher Bollen's first novel captures the atmosphere of anxiety and loss that exists in Manhattan. It is a story of the city itself, and the interconnected lives of those attempting to navigate both Manhattan and their own mortality.
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