The Ferryman: 8 Crossings to a Gentler Life Paperback - 2014

I have been whittling away at The Ferryman for years. The ferryman changes as I change. His story, which once ran to nearly one hundred thousand words, has been whittled down to less than twenty thousand. I have written several big, bold, expansive novels. Once I envisioned The Ferryman as one of these epics. But over time his tale has been shaved down to its essence. The idea now is to read the story in a sitting or two, then go back from time to time to reread those passages you find inspiring or enlightening or simply entertaining. There is a side of me that identifies with the ferryman. Like the ferryman I constantly seek the meaning of my actions and motivations. I have always been both a participant and an eyewitness to my life. What is the point of living, after all, if we're not on some level aware of what drives us and what gives us joy? The Ferryman examines serious concerns like patience and compassion, friendship and and family, but it does so in a light-hearted and amusing manner. It has occurred to me as I've gotten older and less driven by ego that a sense of humor, especially of the self-deprecating variety, might be the most precious gift we can give ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, those who have to deal with us daily.