Charlie Utopia

A marriage ends. A life begins. In between is Charlie’s story of our journey home, breath by breath. His canvas is a life cracked open, to reveal the cost of freedom and the power of love.

Set in backwoods British Columbia, Charlie Utopia is a cautionary tale with a redeeming outcome. Chasing Utopia—from community, to relationship, to success itself—Charlie loses all, then finds himself torn between two new loves. Does he need to heal first in order to love, or does he need love in order to heal?

On the blustery day in mid-March when Charlie and Sharon “officially” split up, the enormity of what it meant in every aspect of his life overwhelmed him. He had brought to fruition his version of Shangri-la, and thought everything in this all-too-domestic realm was finally figured out. He had even plotted the end of his autobiography, envisioning life after fifty as icing on the cake.

Her fault, his fault? Either way, that gut punch nullified every other success in his life, exposing the emptiness of his self-serving ambitions. In truth what Charlie Utopia still wanted most was love: to love and be loved. It meant he too would have to look elsewhere, for somebody else. But he knew he needed first to take a good hard look in the mirror to see what went wrong.

Could Charlie Utopia ride again, believing once more that love can be easy, the next time around?

Then, Charlotte walks in the door and everything changes.

He says the right thing at the wrong time and it changes again.

He could paint you a picture, but all he has are words.

Tears, a candle flame, and fall rain tonight.

With Charlotte, Charlie wants to be truthful and open while also respecting the manifold mysteries arising from their engagement in this live interactive drama. He wants to taste the trivial (the Persian shaved ice), and to dance with the profound (the love of living deeply). He wants their heart songs of emptiness to ring out in a chosen meadow, where the two of them gather with tribe to gaze at stars and share dreamtime, leaving whispers and frog trills to carry them into the night. He wants the summer heat to walk him down the stone steps to meet her, where a garden in moonlight reclines. Somewhere day dawns brightly, again already now. They awake to the wonder of it, their lives becoming ever more whole.

Reviewers say:

“One of the more sensitive accounts of the playing field of romance (love) versus personal success (fame, etc.) as Charlie Utopia searches for meaning in life – an escorted tour for everyone who is treading that path at present. Eloquent and immensely readable, this is a most satisfying novel.” —Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame / Top 50 Reviewer

“Charlie, as the main character is the type of character I love and respect, dealing with himself to restore his life and find happiness.” —Ivan, Amazon review

“A funny and engaging romance that focuses on marriage, divorce, and the road to fixing the damage done by such a traumatic event… The story feels like nonfiction and begs the reader to ask themselves many tough questions. I think anyone who has gone through a divorce would benefit from reading this as it offers insights and ideas for how to bounce back from such an event.” —Phil B., Amazon review

“impeccable prose” —Sol T., Amazon review

“brilliantly drawn characters and settings” —Evelyn, Amazon review

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Book Categories: fiction.