Author John Crawley's novel, "The End"
John Crawley's The End entwines abortion, gay marriage rights, and assisted suicide in this story of three siblings who take different paths and adhere to widely divergent philosophies in life. The End is a definite page turner. -Jeanne Woodfin Kramer
Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) December 09, 2015
Author John Crawley 15th novel, The End, has been selected by Shelf Unbound as one of the most notable books of the year.
“This is the fourth annual Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Indie Book. This year sponsored by BlueInk Review and the Association of Independent Authors. We received nearly 1,000 entries and it was a very competitive field. Our annual competition is one of our favorite things that we do at Shelf Media because we have the opportunity to discover and enjoy an amazing array of books and to see that the best of self-published books can stand toe-to-toe with what you'll find on the bestseller lists," says Shelf Unbound publisher Margaret Brown.
The End is currently available on Lulu:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/john-crawley/the-end/paperback/product-22364452.html
And, at your favorite bookstore.
The End is centered around the issue of a patient’s right to die with dignity. Set in Oregon in the late 1990’s, Lucy Brooks, a schoolteacher and her partner, Christine Bentley, a rising art star in the Pacific Northwest, are faced with the harsh reality that Lucy has a very aggressive strain of cancer that has metastasized throughout her body and she is going to die. But worse, the doctors warn them that this cancer is violently painful in the final days.
Lucy decides to seek assistance with Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, a law allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives at an appropriate time before long-term suffering ensues. Unfortunately for Lucy and for Christine, Oregon does not, at that time, recognize their union as an official marriage. Christine can’t represent Lucy in any legal matters. When Lucy lapses into a coma before they can act on her life termination wishes, it leaves her estranged brother, Father Walter Brooks, as the sole next-of-kin, who is needed to sign the life termination documents.
Father Brooks is a headstrong Catholic priest who has already stood up to the Vatican on matters of principle in his own parish and faced excommunication, but won a reprieve from the Pope himself. Many eyes are on Walter. He feels as if he has crosshairs on his back everyday. For the sake of his career and his faith, he fights the process his dying sister has requested he follow.
Partly because of his stubbornness and partly because he holds his sister’s lifestyle against her, the two have not spoken in almost two decades. It is left to Christine, herself bitter that Lucy has chosen not to fight the cancer but rather limp to her own self-induced finish line, to change Walter’s very pious mind.
The Priest and his sister’s lover have to come to terms with Lucy’s end of life requests and her last testament. They have to come to grips with the reality of her fading life and the pain she is enduring. And they have to begin to trust one another to put Lucy’s best interest ahead of their own motives.
Crawley Discusses The End
“Your final act in life is to ask your brother to do one last thing for you. But he refuses. He can’t. His faith won’t allow it. All you want to do is die in peace,” This is the premise of my 15th novel, The End.
“The End is about the reality that death is the final act of life and the leaving of this world should be as peaceful and comforting as possible. It is also about the myriad of institutions and beliefs standing in the way of the Death with Dignity movement from moral, religious and political oppositions.
“I hope that The End is the beginning of many conversations about this vital topic. My own father, a medical doctor, thought we spent far too much time energy and resources on keeping the terminally ill medically alive, instead of comfortable in death. I agree with him.”
Praise for The End
I have just finished reading John Crawley's The End. Crawley has been a favorite author of mine for several years. His publications cover a number of subjects and have a variety of writing styles, but he has outdone himself on this newest offering.
The controversial topics of abortion, gay marriage rights, and assisted suicide are all entwined throughout this story of three siblings who take different paths and adhere to widely divergent philosophies in life. Crawley does an excellent job of presenting opposing viewpoints on these issues, which usually have a polarizing effect on people's attitudes. He manages to do this while weaving them into an enjoyable story of family dynamics…If you are looking for a story that will pull at your heartstrings and challenge your mind at the same time, you should select The End; it is a definite page turner.
-Jeanne Woodfin Kramer
Kilgore, Texas
About John Crawley
John Crawley is a Dallas, Texas-based writer. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Crawley is the author of the award-winning novels, The Man on the Grassy Knoll, Stuff, Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt, The Myth Makers, Perfect Food as well Fishing Lessons. Visit http://www.johncrawleybooks.com
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