Ithaca - A Father. A Son. Ancient History

I first read Homer's Odysseyfor a school project when I was 17.  Full as it was with tales of the high seas, various kinds of monsters and creatures, mercurial gods and even the land of the dead. The focus was on the ancient hero Odysseus – the great warrior of the Trojan war and the crafty source of the idea for the Trojan Horse that ultimately brought an end to the ten-year conflict.  It was all pretty fantastic stuff, especially for a teenager who, like the rest of my class, required a teacher to guide us through the plot and deeper lessons.

But over the years, I've come to learn that the Odysseymore suited to older and more experienced minds.  That's because behind are the fantastic adventures and encounters are deeply-rooted human truths that frame the entire narrative – loyalty, teamwork, temptation, failure, marriage, children, death and ultimately human redemption.  It's a narrative best told to those with enough years behind them to identify with all these traits.

At numerous points in my life, I have been either on or around the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, from vantage points that spoke deeply of humanity, culture and history – Spain, France, Israel, Lebanon, North Africa, Greece and Italy.  Through all of it, thoughts of Odysseus continued to re-emerge and prompt my mind towards things more philosophical.  I always thought it would be interesting to retrace his steps around and across the Great Sea.

Since I never took that journey, I embarked on writing a novel of a father and a son who do their own sailing in a 40-foot sloop, encountering a series of adventures and lessons that nuanced their own relationship.

Lloyd Dowling, a Maryland boat builder, is at last retired and ready to follow the route of Odysseus, when his son Jeff signs on to join him on the trip at the last minute. Though their relationship is comfortable and supportive, Jeff is a social media guru now living in California and whose billionaire status has made him into something of an icon.  But his life, for all its success, has failed to come together in the meaningful ways he had hoped for.  His last-minute decision to join his father on the expedition is driven by his own recent romantic failure and his desire for something more meaningful in. life.

It took three months to complete the manuscript and, ultimately, I chose to call the book Ithaca - the homeland of Odysseus and the place where Lloyd and his wife, Jeff and his sister, reunite in a spirit of family love and durability.  But before then, father and son have to encounter violent seas, the eruption of Mt. Etna, diverse cultures and even a compelling romantic interlude for Jeff.

If you're interested, the book is available in paperback form here or as a free download version here. I decided to move the digital copies of my books from Amazon (for obvious reasons) and on to Kobo – a Canadian company and one I'm more ethically comfortable with.  You'll require the free Kobo app for the digital version.