Crooke, R: Sunrise

Sunrise is a tale of illusion, loss and renewal in a tragic age. Set inManhattan, and in the fashionable beach towns of Long Island's EastEnd, it follows the interwoven lives of three friends from the late1960s to the present-exploring the confluence of art, commerce,politics and celebrity.With its perfectly rendered physical setting, Sunrise draws readers intothe reality of place and the universality of myth in a daring, Moderniststyle.Stephen Dahl, the narrator of Sunrise, is a troubled child of the 60s,an expatriate American author living in Paris, an alcoholic who hasstopped drinking but failed to recover his spiritual equilibrium.Watching the horrors of September 11th from his Paris apartment, heis struck by renewed patriotism which vanishes quickly as Americaplans to invade Iraq. But he is called home in the Spring of 2003 bythe death of his former best friend and by the chance to see his formerlover, the widow of his old friend. Thus begins Stephen's journey to apast that reveals complex layers of moral and spiritual responsibilityto his country, his countrymen and himself. Stephen confronts anuncertain future by accepting the moral limits of despair and thepower of compassion.