'The Healings' is a collection of humorous shorts with a theme: "the hilarious journey of a lonely depressed man and his cat, traveling from ''healer'' to ''healer'' in their quest for wholeness" as Oana describes it. Oana's sense of humor is intrinsic to her personality. It inevitably shows up in her Facebook posts and on her blog. It is spontaneous and quirky. Here is a person you just naturally want to get to know better. So I had a great time wandering through her web site and reading her bio. She is a native of Romania, studied in Poland, and calls English her third language.
Here is the review that I find best distills the essence of 'The Healings':
"Review by B.M.Fontes
Buried deep inside the words of each one of these short stories is a trauma; some are from childhood, others are brought on by environment, but all, are there - somewhere, hidden and waiting to find you.
Oana's nameless character is brilliant. He encompasses all that is right, and left, of men in this Western world. His furry black life partner, Her, is a cat that embodies all that is female, narcissistic, and overbearing in relationships. This is a classic co-dependent pair of emotionally, mentally and possibly physically, abused beings that travel through chapter and scenario unaware of the power behind their actions and the humor in their words.
I made the mistake of reading The Healings late one Friday night, already tucked in bed. I figured that one chapter; one story a night would be a perfectly happy way to end the day. I was so naive. This is not a happy go-lucky, feel good book. This is a hysterical, drown-me-in-irony, kill it with humor, and then keep me up until sunrise, book. At one point I was laughing so loud that a chorus of, "Mom! Go to sleep! Your Loud!" came bellowing down the hall. Which added to the dark humor; it was 2am and both my teens were already home from their `cat-walks'.
Are you lonely? Do you have an evening free? Do you need something to cheer your mood? Are you looking to dream amazing dreams? Here is your friend, your time well spent, your cheerleader, your catalyst; this book will be worth every moment of read-time and a second read-time. Bravo Oana"
Oana now lives in Arizona and is active in the Central Phoenix Writing Workshop. 'The Healings' is available in paperback, e-book, and also as an Audio Book.
----------------------------------------------
This is the third of a short series of Author profiles that features fellow authors in the All Things That Matter Press family.
No comments:
Post a Comment