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The Vales
The Vales seem like a normal Canadian family, but they are not. Patriarch Joseph Vale has a secret.
When the children and grandchildren drive north from Toronto to visit, they bring along their own problems and secrets. The novel takes place over a weekend visit, with multiple narrators, each offering their very personal take on what unfolds. Along with the riveting drama, it is the unveiling of inner lives; feelings, memories and relationships that make the story so moving.
The range of voices is as varied as it is deep; from Roland and Jay, pre-teens as different from each other as the characters in the online game they’re addicted to, to teenagers Danny and Ziggy, obsessed with an unopened love letter and a haze of blue smoke, to their middle-aged parents, like Bobby, a closet day trader with OCD. Lastly, the grandparents Joseph and Grace, wrestling with the memory and health issues of old age, and Joseph’s secret that threatens them all.
Surrounded by nature, the Vales are secluded and remote. They are however, not alone. Existing in parallel to the world of the Vales is a sinister underbelly, with its own set of secrets. Over the course of one stormy winter weekend, the Vales brush up against this evil, which triggers a sequence of events and a level of intensity beyond their darkest imaginations.
When the children and grandchildren drive north from Toronto to visit, they bring along their own problems and secrets. The novel takes place over a weekend visit, with multiple narrators, each offering their very personal take on what unfolds. Along with the riveting drama, it is the unveiling of inner lives; feelings, memories and relationships that make the story so moving.
The range of voices is as varied as it is deep; from Roland and Jay, pre-teens as different from each other as the characters in the online game they’re addicted to, to teenagers Danny and Ziggy, obsessed with an unopened love letter and a haze of blue smoke, to their middle-aged parents, like Bobby, a closet day trader with OCD. Lastly, the grandparents Joseph and Grace, wrestling with the memory and health issues of old age, and Joseph’s secret that threatens them all.
Surrounded by nature, the Vales are secluded and remote. They are however, not alone. Existing in parallel to the world of the Vales is a sinister underbelly, with its own set of secrets. Over the course of one stormy winter weekend, the Vales brush up against this evil, which triggers a sequence of events and a level of intensity beyond their darkest imaginations.
400 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2023
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
George Graziani
2 books2 followersGeorge Graziani is a Canadian writer based in Ontario, Canada. George holds an honours degree in mathematics and philosophy from the University of Toronto. He is also a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, an Ironman triathlete, and a visual artist. George has been recognized by the Ontario Arts Council, and awarded an Ontario Arts Council Grant.
During his career as a senior executive in the financial world of international reinsurance, banking, and longevity, George wrote numerous articles on health and longevity with publishers including Institutional Investor, Canadian Investment Review, and Benefits Canada. George has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and interviewed by various media including Bloomberg Television, NPR, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and Rogers Media Television Network.
On March 20, 2020, as a public service, George developed and launched the first Global Contact Tracing App, which was used in 55 countries.
George has a passion for nature, and finds inspiration hiking near his cabin on the Bluffs of Nottawasaga, near Singhampton, north of Toronto.
George lives with his wife Carolyn in Toronto, near to their son Sam.
The Vales, crafted over many years, draws on an eclectic mix of characters and experience. It is ultimately about personal relationships and family. The Vales is George Graziani’s first novel.
Artist Philosophy:
I believe that Art is deeply intimate, personal, and yet universal. A relationship develops between the writer, their characters, and most importantly the reader. The characters in a novel, like the people in your life, become a part of you. Their experiences; be it a moment in nature, the love for a child, a memory, a worry, a fear, or even an idea move us with emotion that is necessarily personal and most often private. I believe it is also universal, and shared with you, the reader, to pick-up and to make your own.
During his career as a senior executive in the financial world of international reinsurance, banking, and longevity, George wrote numerous articles on health and longevity with publishers including Institutional Investor, Canadian Investment Review, and Benefits Canada. George has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and interviewed by various media including Bloomberg Television, NPR, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and Rogers Media Television Network.
On March 20, 2020, as a public service, George developed and launched the first Global Contact Tracing App, which was used in 55 countries.
George has a passion for nature, and finds inspiration hiking near his cabin on the Bluffs of Nottawasaga, near Singhampton, north of Toronto.
George lives with his wife Carolyn in Toronto, near to their son Sam.
The Vales, crafted over many years, draws on an eclectic mix of characters and experience. It is ultimately about personal relationships and family. The Vales is George Graziani’s first novel.
Artist Philosophy:
I believe that Art is deeply intimate, personal, and yet universal. A relationship develops between the writer, their characters, and most importantly the reader. The characters in a novel, like the people in your life, become a part of you. Their experiences; be it a moment in nature, the love for a child, a memory, a worry, a fear, or even an idea move us with emotion that is necessarily personal and most often private. I believe it is also universal, and shared with you, the reader, to pick-up and to make your own.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 18, 2023
My review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for prose and writing, ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for storytelling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for character development. An overall rating of ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
The Vales is an intensely character-driven novel revolving around two, intertwined stories, and taking place over the course of a long weekend. The first centers on a family gathering at the home of the grandparents, while the other is a criminal misadventure. Both stories run parallel — until they collide, drawing the innocent family into chaos. Both tales unfold through first person accounts of the events in real time, each chapter devoted to the perspective of one of the characters.
The Vales comprise of Grace and Joseph, the matriarch and patriarch of the family. It is their home where the weekend gathering takes place. Their children, Eva and Bobby, are middle-aged adults with families of their own. Eva has her husband, Adam and a wild teenage daughter, Ziggy. Bobby has his wife, Renata, and two boys, Danny and Roland, who are a little younger than their cousin.
This is a novel seeking to excavate the layers of motivation — emotional, cultural, and pragmatic — behind an individual’s actions. Each narrator exposes their most vulnerable selves in these pages, with a deeply intimate result. The reader is privy to each narrator’s desires, secrets, and fears — even those they are unwilling to acknowledge themselves. The flawed natures of the characters are sure to evoke a sense of empathy in the reader; there’s someone we recognize in each of them, our own mothers, aunts, uncles, friends.
The prose throughout the novel therefore changes voice frequently; the pitch and tone of Danny’s chapters reflect the concerns of a boy on the edge of puberty, while Bobby’s are the stuff of adult-sized angst. The prose is very well-crafted, but this reader found this recurrent shift in voice created a superfluousness that did not pay an eventual reward. This was also due, in part, to the content of each narrator’s chapter.
Because of the story unfolds through the eyes of several narrators and each one provides an account of events in the present tense, there is a redundancy in the retelling of events which the reader already knew about. The telling and multiple retelling of the same events by different narrators did not progress the story. Instead this tendency caused the novel to sag in several parts. It was unfortunate that the different perspectives did not add conflict or dramatic effect to the events.
The intense interiority of each narration also produced other jarring effects. Perhaps the author submerged this reader too well, too deeply, with their intimate prose because the the shifts in narrators pulled this reader from the depths of a character’s mind too soon, leading to breaks in the mood of the moment. The other effect, also a consequence of the deep interior view into the character’s mind, was the character’s mental wandering into tangential domains; the result was the introduction of many supporting characters, too many for this reader to keep track of. Were they important enough to remember? This reader found that many of them were there to serve as foils to the characters themselves, and as such they did not add to the story significantly.
My verdict on The Vales is therefore mixed. On the one hand, it is very well-written and full of well-crafted characters. The character-driven aspect of the work is apparent and very much appreciated. On the other hand, the delivery of the story stagnated at several points and ultimately did not pay out on the promise made in the subtitle: Love, Evil, and Redemption. Of the three, love was most visible. Evil was present, though the events did not quite merit that extreme of a description. Redemption felt rushed at the end; the point at which the two stories slam into each other possessed a moment of conflict that was (to this reader) under-dramatized. The events bringing the Vales into contact with a sordid reality deserved greater attention, not in terms of a play-by-play of the events themselves, but in terms of their meaning to the characters involved.
I am nonetheless glad for the experience of reading it.
The Vales is an intensely character-driven novel revolving around two, intertwined stories, and taking place over the course of a long weekend. The first centers on a family gathering at the home of the grandparents, while the other is a criminal misadventure. Both stories run parallel — until they collide, drawing the innocent family into chaos. Both tales unfold through first person accounts of the events in real time, each chapter devoted to the perspective of one of the characters.
The Vales comprise of Grace and Joseph, the matriarch and patriarch of the family. It is their home where the weekend gathering takes place. Their children, Eva and Bobby, are middle-aged adults with families of their own. Eva has her husband, Adam and a wild teenage daughter, Ziggy. Bobby has his wife, Renata, and two boys, Danny and Roland, who are a little younger than their cousin.
This is a novel seeking to excavate the layers of motivation — emotional, cultural, and pragmatic — behind an individual’s actions. Each narrator exposes their most vulnerable selves in these pages, with a deeply intimate result. The reader is privy to each narrator’s desires, secrets, and fears — even those they are unwilling to acknowledge themselves. The flawed natures of the characters are sure to evoke a sense of empathy in the reader; there’s someone we recognize in each of them, our own mothers, aunts, uncles, friends.
The prose throughout the novel therefore changes voice frequently; the pitch and tone of Danny’s chapters reflect the concerns of a boy on the edge of puberty, while Bobby’s are the stuff of adult-sized angst. The prose is very well-crafted, but this reader found this recurrent shift in voice created a superfluousness that did not pay an eventual reward. This was also due, in part, to the content of each narrator’s chapter.
Because of the story unfolds through the eyes of several narrators and each one provides an account of events in the present tense, there is a redundancy in the retelling of events which the reader already knew about. The telling and multiple retelling of the same events by different narrators did not progress the story. Instead this tendency caused the novel to sag in several parts. It was unfortunate that the different perspectives did not add conflict or dramatic effect to the events.
The intense interiority of each narration also produced other jarring effects. Perhaps the author submerged this reader too well, too deeply, with their intimate prose because the the shifts in narrators pulled this reader from the depths of a character’s mind too soon, leading to breaks in the mood of the moment. The other effect, also a consequence of the deep interior view into the character’s mind, was the character’s mental wandering into tangential domains; the result was the introduction of many supporting characters, too many for this reader to keep track of. Were they important enough to remember? This reader found that many of them were there to serve as foils to the characters themselves, and as such they did not add to the story significantly.
My verdict on The Vales is therefore mixed. On the one hand, it is very well-written and full of well-crafted characters. The character-driven aspect of the work is apparent and very much appreciated. On the other hand, the delivery of the story stagnated at several points and ultimately did not pay out on the promise made in the subtitle: Love, Evil, and Redemption. Of the three, love was most visible. Evil was present, though the events did not quite merit that extreme of a description. Redemption felt rushed at the end; the point at which the two stories slam into each other possessed a moment of conflict that was (to this reader) under-dramatized. The events bringing the Vales into contact with a sordid reality deserved greater attention, not in terms of a play-by-play of the events themselves, but in terms of their meaning to the characters involved.
I am nonetheless glad for the experience of reading it.
October 2, 2023
Wow, guys, you won't believe how amazing "The Vales" is! This story is packed with so many interesting characters and there's always something exciting happening with each one. But here's the best part: the author, George Graziani, absolutely nailed it with his writing. I mean, seriously, he did such an incredible job!
As you read, you become completely immersed in the story because each character becomes their own narrator. It's like you're right there with them, seeing and feeling everything they do. It's such a powerful experience, let me tell you.
Now, I don't want to spoil anything, but I just have to express how talented this author is. One of the characters has OCD, and let me tell you, if you've never personally known someone with OCD, this story gives you a firsthand experience of what they go through. It's eye-opening, and it really makes you empathize with them. I had to constantly remind myself not to get frustrated with this character because they didn't choose to be this way. It's just something they can't control. And there are other characters too, each with their own struggles, and you really get inside their heads and feel what they're going through.
I have to give a big round of applause to Mr. Graziani for crafting such an incredible story. And guess what? There's even a mind-blowing twist at the end! I totally didn’t see coming, leaving me in complete shock. I seriously can't praise this book enough.
If you haven't read "The Vales" yet, you've got to get your hands on it. Trust me, it's a must-read. And once you're done, make sure to share your thoughts, write a review, because I guarantee you'll be just as blown away as I was.
As you read, you become completely immersed in the story because each character becomes their own narrator. It's like you're right there with them, seeing and feeling everything they do. It's such a powerful experience, let me tell you.
Now, I don't want to spoil anything, but I just have to express how talented this author is. One of the characters has OCD, and let me tell you, if you've never personally known someone with OCD, this story gives you a firsthand experience of what they go through. It's eye-opening, and it really makes you empathize with them. I had to constantly remind myself not to get frustrated with this character because they didn't choose to be this way. It's just something they can't control. And there are other characters too, each with their own struggles, and you really get inside their heads and feel what they're going through.
I have to give a big round of applause to Mr. Graziani for crafting such an incredible story. And guess what? There's even a mind-blowing twist at the end! I totally didn’t see coming, leaving me in complete shock. I seriously can't praise this book enough.
If you haven't read "The Vales" yet, you've got to get your hands on it. Trust me, it's a must-read. And once you're done, make sure to share your thoughts, write a review, because I guarantee you'll be just as blown away as I was.
September 2, 2023
Anticipaaaaa....
Ugh
.
The author weaves a detailed, rich tapestry, a portrait of a relatively normal family.
Sure they have problems, addictions, some skeletons in the closet, but nothing their relative wealth doesn't negate.
The Ongoing "moral" or "birds eye view" story in the DreamScape became cumbersome and distracting.
The characters were wonderfully fleshed out, truely lively, but so many of them just went nowhere.
I got to the end of the book with a sense of being cut short.
Not everything needs to be tied up in a neat bow but I was left really frustrated.
This book has a lot of potential, if the author is willing to accept the input of a good editor. A good 100 pages could have been cut with little effect on the story.
Also, this being a first edition and self published, there were some typos and layout issues that were slightly distracting.
Kudos to the author on his first book.
Ugh
.
The author weaves a detailed, rich tapestry, a portrait of a relatively normal family.
Sure they have problems, addictions, some skeletons in the closet, but nothing their relative wealth doesn't negate.
The Ongoing "moral" or "birds eye view" story in the DreamScape became cumbersome and distracting.
The characters were wonderfully fleshed out, truely lively, but so many of them just went nowhere.
I got to the end of the book with a sense of being cut short.
Not everything needs to be tied up in a neat bow but I was left really frustrated.
This book has a lot of potential, if the author is willing to accept the input of a good editor. A good 100 pages could have been cut with little effect on the story.
Also, this being a first edition and self published, there were some typos and layout issues that were slightly distracting.
Kudos to the author on his first book.
July 19, 2023
Book: The Vales
Author: George Graziani
Rating: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Vales is a beautifully written story about a Canadian family. This book has multiple POV's offering a very unique perspective of what happens to this family over the course of a weekend. With each family member trying to navigate their own lives and secrets, and the granddads secret threatening to rip their family apart, everything all ties together in a fascinating way. This story is very slow paced and perfect if you like novels that are slower paced. I also found George's writing style/voice to be fantastic. My only complaint about this book is that because of the multiple POV's, multiple things were repeated, causing the story to not move forwards at some parts. Overall I truly enjoyed this book!
------
About the book:
The Vales seem like a normal Canadian family, but they are not. Patriarch Joseph Vale has a secret.
When the children and grandchildren drive north of Toronto to visit, they bring their own problems and secrets. The novel takes place over a weekend visit, with multiple narrators, each offering their very personal take on what unfolds. Along with the riveting drama, it is the unveiling of inner lives; feelings, memories and relationships that make the story so moving.
The range of voices is as varied as it is deep; from Roland and Jay, pre-teens as different from each other as the characters in the online game they're addicted to, to teenagers Danny and Ziggy, obsessed with an unopened love letter and a haze of blue smoke, to their middle-aged parents, like Bobby, a closet day trader with OCD. Lastly, the grandparents Joseph and Grace, wrestling with the memory and health issues of old age, and Joseph's secret that threatens them all.
Surrounded by nature, the Vales are secluded and remote. They are, however, not alone. Existing in parallel to the world of the Vales is a sinister underbelly, with its own set of secrets. Over the course of one stormy winter weekend, the Vales brush up against this evil, which triggers a sequence of events and a level of intensity beyond their darkest imaginations.
--------
Author: George Graziani
Rating: 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Vales is a beautifully written story about a Canadian family. This book has multiple POV's offering a very unique perspective of what happens to this family over the course of a weekend. With each family member trying to navigate their own lives and secrets, and the granddads secret threatening to rip their family apart, everything all ties together in a fascinating way. This story is very slow paced and perfect if you like novels that are slower paced. I also found George's writing style/voice to be fantastic. My only complaint about this book is that because of the multiple POV's, multiple things were repeated, causing the story to not move forwards at some parts. Overall I truly enjoyed this book!
------
About the book:
The Vales seem like a normal Canadian family, but they are not. Patriarch Joseph Vale has a secret.
When the children and grandchildren drive north of Toronto to visit, they bring their own problems and secrets. The novel takes place over a weekend visit, with multiple narrators, each offering their very personal take on what unfolds. Along with the riveting drama, it is the unveiling of inner lives; feelings, memories and relationships that make the story so moving.
The range of voices is as varied as it is deep; from Roland and Jay, pre-teens as different from each other as the characters in the online game they're addicted to, to teenagers Danny and Ziggy, obsessed with an unopened love letter and a haze of blue smoke, to their middle-aged parents, like Bobby, a closet day trader with OCD. Lastly, the grandparents Joseph and Grace, wrestling with the memory and health issues of old age, and Joseph's secret that threatens them all.
Surrounded by nature, the Vales are secluded and remote. They are, however, not alone. Existing in parallel to the world of the Vales is a sinister underbelly, with its own set of secrets. Over the course of one stormy winter weekend, the Vales brush up against this evil, which triggers a sequence of events and a level of intensity beyond their darkest imaginations.
--------
June 3, 2023
It's a reveting drama.alot of twists. Alot of different takes from different characters. Has a little something for everyone
March 20, 2023
A real page turner of a book. An astounding first effort by
George Graziani who bases his fictional prose loosely on his own
life experiences. The reader senses that a lot of thought has gone into
the perceptions of the characters that Mr Graziani has created.
George Graziani who bases his fictional prose loosely on his own
life experiences. The reader senses that a lot of thought has gone into
the perceptions of the characters that Mr Graziani has created.
September 10, 2023
A lot happens over a weekend in this book~and it fits the subtitle ~ A Story of Love, Evil, and Redemption perfectly. The Voles family is gathering for the weekend at the family cabin in the woods not far from Toronto, Canada. The patriarch of the family, Joseph Voles and his wife, Grace, are managing their lives as an older aged couple as well as Joseph’s illness. Their son Bobby, and their grandsons, Danny and Rolly, arrive before Bobby’s wife Renata, who has to work late. Their daughter Eva, arrives with her daughter, Ziggy. Eva’s husband, Adam, arrives as well, but after he had had a business meeting with Casa Family. Stories of the family members pasts as well their present day lives are intertwined, which gives us a look at each character’s life. The parents are each deeply in love with their spouses, their children, and grandchildren. We are also introduced to Adam’s mother, Clarissa, who is Ziggy’s grandmother and is in an assisted living home. Other characters are brothers Ray and Jay. Ray is associated with the evil Casa Family and serves as a henchman. Jay, is confined to a wheelchair, and is being cared for by Ray. Jay has on online following, one of whom is Rolly, as he has created a world called Dreamscape. This loving family witnesses evil, and some, seek redemption for their flaws and the poor decisions they have made. At times this is a puzzling read, as well as a pager turner. I will think about this book for some time.
February 15, 2023
I loved it!
March 16, 2023
Loved this book. So many interesting characters telling the story from different points of view. Definitely a page turner, with a dramatic ending.
May 12, 2023
I love reading books with lots of drama unfolding. This book contains dark undertones that would send me in a spiraling thrill. I highly recommend this body of work!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews