Dive and Fly

by Warren Caterson

A romantic-comedy-adventure with enough twists to make a half-dozen really good martinis... Imagine… You were born with a rare condition. Synesthesia. You taste color. You feel sound. Now imagine how that would impact your job. Your love life. Your future. Billy Shakes is a successful writer whose synesthesia helped him create six killer novels. But he has hit a slump so his agent urges him to get out and take his ‘disease’ on the road. Take some risks. Get those creative juices flowing again. He does.  Billy meets Maureen at a Florida film festival, and to Billy her shimmering bronze skin tastes of crème brûlée. But the barely married Maureen tastes adventure. Since they share a love for movies, Billy suggests a weekend trip to the Chicago Film Festival. Thus begins a kaleidoscope of events involving Maureen’s brutish husband, a feisty best friend, a deadbeat fiancé, two inept hit men, an alcohol-infused Scientist, a riot grrrl with a penchant for large automatic weapons…Oh, and Eden, an old friend with her own mysterious condition who longs to take a few risks herself. Through a series of missteps, close calls and mistaken identities, this dysfunctional group ricochets off one another as they storm into Chicago. After causing a near riot at the Art Institute, Billy and Eden find themselves poised on the edge of the roof. As a dozen security guards rush toward them with guns ablaze, Billy and Eden are forced to take one last risk - with wondrous and surprising results.

270 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2012

About the author

Warren is a full-time writer and food enthusiast who studied at the Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts. He is the award-winning author of the cookbooks Table for Two - The Cookbook for Couples, Cooking Outside the Lines - Musings of an Extemporaneous Chef, and Table for Two - Back for Seconds. His debut novel Dive and Fly, a romantic-comedy-adventure, was released in May.

Warren and his family live in Vilano Beach, Florida. He invites you to drop by if you're in the area. There's always something cooking and there's always enough.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read other reviews for Dive and Fly and had to laugh at the one-star reviews. Clearly they don't know a FARCE when they read one. And anyone who didn't finish the book missed the gag at the end that made it all work. I won't ruin it for you, but you really have to finish this book before you form a conclusive opinion.

That being said, there are chunks of over drawn exposition, and places where characters and their relationships are a bit convoluted. But overall, if you go into this book knowing it's a bit over-the-top and campy, you'll have fun reading it.

The author is not William Shakespear, or Oscar Wilde. So if you're looking for "literature" read something else. If you're looking for farcical fun, Dive and Fly.

[Tom Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't all that happy with this book from the beginning, but there was enough oddball characters in it that I kept slogging through. I guess Caterson thought it was humorous, but it was more slapstick and not good slapstick at that. Stuck it out until the end to how he would bring it all together; he didn't. While Caterson did tie up some loose ends, he left too many untied and then come away with a hard-to-accept conclusion, which still left the reader hanging. It's readable, but don't look for a real good read.

[KathyO · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very intrigued by synesthesia, so was looking forward to this book. It was a big disappointment! It was also trying to be a comedy, and pretty much failed at that, too...

[Jennifer]

not worth reading

[Anne-Kathrine]

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