ARISING: Two Novellas and a Play

By Lorne Shirinian

Arising consists of two novellas, "It Never Ends" and "Held Under," and a one-act play, "Port Cities." In "It Never Ends," Manuel Sweet wakes one morning to find that his life has been cancelled. He senses he is being followed and that the government wants to take him in for questioning. His family history has made him a suspect in an attack at the Orly Airport in Paris years ago.

Jake Armen in "Held Under" left Toronto years ago to live the writer's life in Paris. Now, fifty years later, he returns to confront issues that have remained with him, namely, his family and the murder of a classmate. He meets a new friend who helps him deal with them as he rediscovers his home.

In "Port Cities," the characters from the two novellas have been convoked to an island in the eastern Mediterranean. They discuss, argue and plan their futures while they wait for the arrival of the author.

Blue Heron Press (2023)