74th Street Productions
Trade Paperback 6x9" 336 pages
Retail $15.95
ISBN 978-0-9655702-6-8
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Passage of the Kissing People
by
Peter Kahle
Stolen and Lost
THE KISSING PEOPLE, an heirloom
silver brooch
Mama Marossi’s
good luck charm is stolen by seven-year-old Michael Kohler, who adores
her and
her family, especially her daughter Gisella. The brooch is lost when Michael
flees
the Sonoma Valley.
In this lyrical
tale of memory, a fifty-year-old artist’s past leads to a romantic mystery in
his
present. In 1953 the death of an inmate from the Sonoma State Home for the Feebleminded
causes young Michael to call his father a liar. The phrase, “Are you scared to
learn the goddamned truth?” echoes between them for forty years, as a challenge
to authority, a demand for justice, a plea for love, and an offer of
reconciliation.
In 1996 Michael
is challenged by an anonymous email. He must return to Sonoma to
face his
childhood love Gisella, and the family from whom he stole the silver brooch.
To
gain forgiveness for his dying father and himself, he must find the long-lost
Kissing People.
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Deft, sensual descriptions and the layering of past over
present weave a delicate sadness and wonder into its tone.
Realistic, endearing characters. Rendered with a sure
rhythm, this piece evokes longing, regret, and the sacredness
and terrible power of our earliest experiences.
—Phoebe Kitanidis, author of Whisper |
Once I picked up Passage of the Kissing People, I could hardly put
it down. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story with strong,
quirky characters and a rich, authentic sense of time and
place that stayed with me for a long time. I am hoping for
a sequel!
—Kent Sturgis, Epicenter Press |
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Who knew a childhood at a mental institution could be so sweet,
funny and heartwarming? California’s more pastoral past anchors
this tale of love, family secrets, and journeys home.
—Rosemary Jones, author of City of the Dead |
Passage of the Kissing People is the story of two young
families during the years immediately following WWII.
Neighborliness, terrible secrets and tragedy become the
glue of lasting friendships. Peter Kahle’s seemingly simple
narrative, set in the gentleness of Sonoma County’s Valley
of the Moon and the harshness of the State Home for the
Feeble Minded, morphs quickly into a search for truth
laced with tragedy, redemption and love.
—Evelyn Gibb, author of Two Wheels North
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