Friday, September 28, 2012

Eclipse-David Lehner

Eclipse


David Lehner

Daniel & Daniel Publishers, Oct 5 2012, $12.95

ISBN: 9781564745293



Amoral stockbroker Alex Jenkins tells his friend student Tom Jones that the latter’s ex-girlfriend (for one month) Sophia Weston wants to see him. Alex persuades Tom for them to journey to the summer home of Sophia’s parents where the young lady is staying. Before they leave, Alex steals signed first edition copies of works by Wolfe and Woolf from one of Tom’s professors. They sell the autographed tomes to an unscrupulous bookseller who will tear the pages apart to sell to collectors wanting a piece of the classics.



They head to the summer house, but no one is there though Alex breaks in. The neighbors see them and knowing Tom invite them into their home where Alex sleeps with the daughter to Tom’s horror. As they party hop while desperately seeking Sophia, Tom feels disgust with the debauching and lying of his compatriot. Soon he learns his image of virtuous Sophia is a lie as he is the only who has not slept with her. With his life in ruins as the professor threatens to destroy him for the thefts, Tom struggles with the temptations of amorality.



As noted on the back cover, David Lehner modernizes Petronius's The Satyricon (and pays homage to other classics) with this over the top morality drama starring two friends with opposite value systems. Alex is a hedonistic amoral rogue while Tom is an ethical individual with the dilemma that his accompanying his buddy on an out of control odyssey makes him guilty of association and omission. Although fans will find it difficult to accept Tom’s innocent naivety, Eclipse is a wild affair.



Harriet Klausner

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