Powerful Novel Draws on Current Events to Relay Character's Spiritual Journey

Robert Crooke's awarding-winning, new novel "Sunrise" spins a beautiful tale of loss and illusion that early reviews have compared to "The Great Gatsby" and "Atonement."

Bridgewater, CT (PRWEB) March 3, 2008 -- Stephen Dahl is an expatriate writer, living and teaching and Paris, desperately trying to forget the haunting, painful memories he left behind in America. The tragic events of Sept. 11 awaken his patriotism, but aren't enough to bring him home, until his former best friend dies two years later.

Join Dahl on a journey of spiritual awakening, love and forgiveness in author Robert Crooke's gripping new novel "Sunrise" (ISBN 9780595464777, iUniverse, Inc., 2007), winner of iUniverse's highly selective "Publisher's Choice" award. "Sunrise" is both an intimate character study about the effects of loss and illusion on one man, and a tender social commentary about the role of religion and morality in post-9/11 America. Crooke draws captivating parallels between the tragic loss, emotional reactions and resulting consequences in his main character's personal life and America's path since Sept. 11.

"I believe most Americans, if they had the chance, would take back some of the decisions they made in 2002 and 2003," Crooke says. "Stephen Dahl is a man who, if he could, would also take back many decisions he made in the past, out of sorrow, sadness and unclear thinking." "Sunrise" is not a radical political novel; it's a story that uses the most important events of modern American history to give readers a platform to truly understand the emotions and reactions of the protagonist to tragic events in his life.

When Dahl returns home, he is reconnected with his former love, the now-widowed Alexis Jordan. Their 30-year love affair is recounted through flashbacks that strongly mirror the story of their generation: plenty of hope, disappointment and incredible extremes. "Sunrise" is a beautifully realistic love story, characterized not by endless happiness, but by the enlightenment and understanding that comes from deep, vulnerable honesty with another human being.

Dahl is a complex and not immediately likeable character: he's a wandering, recovering alcoholic who has lost his spiritual center and must now try to reconcile old sins. However, his quest for emotional, spiritual and moral peace with the past couldn't be more relevant to America today. As Dahl struggles to become a better man, he realizes that he may get a fresh opportunity to turn around his life, but it will take facing some tough realities to reach his new "Sunrise."

About the Author

Robert Crooke resides in Bridgewater, Conn. with his wife. He is a journalist, media executive and teacher. He began his career as a sports reporter and columnist for the Long Island Press and served as Reuters' North American press spokesman for 13 years. He currently heads financial media relations for the U.S. division of Makinson Cowell, a capital markets advisory firm. He is also the author of the regional bestseller, "American Family" and is now working on his third novel, "The Earth and Its Sorrows."

"Sunrise" (ISBN 9780595464777, iUniverse, Inc., 2007) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit www.robertcrooke.org. Publicity contact: www.readerviews.com. Review copies available upon request.

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