Book Description

Toward Campoluna captures the romance and excitement of a unique generation in a unique place. In 1955, lifeguard and surf bum Corky McCork and his bighearted artist friend, Reebar Tornay, hit the road for some adventure. When they come to the aid of barefoot and bleeding Eliomara Vasquez, the three become interlinked in an international adventure that lasts a lifetime. The men help the feisty Eliomara to escape the border patrol authorities who want to send her back to Mexico, and then Corky, Reebar, and Eliomara continue on to individual journeys, facing countless dangers and challenges, before their lives again intersect, many years later, in a joint quest for meaning, purpose, and peace. The three come back together, this time joined by Lumina, the beautiful Bulgarian eccentric; Tireseo, the blind poet-revolutionary; Sylvia, the enigmatic spy; and Pulo, the breeder of fighting cocks; to form Campoluna, a rugged artists' colony in rural Mexico. Meant to be a haven in the face of a drastically changing world and the Vietnam War, Campoluna becomes a test of the precarious balance between the magnificent loneliness of individuality and the arduous pleasure of human bonds, as well as a testament to the power of collectively embracing life with vigor and hope. "Vivid characters, an overwhelming plot, strong passions, defeats and hopes and longing, compassion and loneliness this is literature " -Edvard Hoem, author of Ave Eva and The Ferry Crossing