Colorado Mandala

by Brian Francis Heffron

In the heady, hippie backdrop of Pike’s Peak, Colorado, in the tumultuous 1970s, three souls swirl together in an explosive supernova. Michael is the flinty-eyed, volatile former Green Beret, whose tour in Vietnam has left unbridgeable chasms in his psyche and secrets that can never find light. Sarah is his fair-haired paramour, the ethereal Earth Mother widow of a fallen soldier and single mother to a ten-year-old son Stuart. Paul is a young wanderer, who is drawn in by Michael and soon bears the mantle of both minister and scourge. As they are drawn together, and torn apart, each is changed forever.

Genres: Mental Health

250 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2013

About the author

Poet Brian Heffron’s new work of literary fiction, Colorado Mandala, mines the complex landscape of 1970s post-Vietnam America to chart the love triangle of a former Green Beret, his lover, and a young wanderer in Colorado.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Colorado Mandala is a fabulous tale of love, honor, friendship and the psychological morass of Viet Nam Vets; their private codes, their impenetrable camaraderie. Brian understands the life of the nomad, getting a ride here, jumping off there and hoping for peace and new encounters. His understanding of human strengths and failings is impeccably delineated in this marvelous account of Michael, Sarah, her young son, Stuart, and himself. The plot has been carefully and craft fully drawn and readers of all ages, those who remember Viet Nam and those who have only history to rely on the terror, will appreciate this tale, close to a Mei-Lei experience. Enjoy."
---Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D., is a clinical and forensic psychologist and a nationally recognized expert in the fields of trauma, PTSD, and child abuse.


MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW — 5 OUT OF 5 STARS — http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/...

“Colorado Mandala comes from poet Brian Heffron, who departs from his established genre with a novel of the seventies recommended for fans of literary fiction. The novel opens with an eloquent preface explaining the author's early attraction (at age twelve) to hitchhiking, an occupation that leads to journeys throughout America:

"This connection to highways, and journeys on them, may be
because I was born the summer Congress passed the Federal Highway Act. I came in with the highways and have actually grown up on them; my New Jersey suburb had a major national highway route running right alongside its border. This meant that total geographic, continental freedom was only one bold, usually cold, thumb ride away."

Each new ride leads to encounters with strangers, new fables and legends, and different perceptions of love and connection which form foundations for the fictional experiences (based on fact) described in Colorado Mandala.

This book is all about shared connections, different visions of love, and a journey through America that vividly connects strangers and places.

Its dialogue and descriptions are exquisite, pairing a sense of place with a sense of character and linking the two with a fine mesh of intricate, accurate and sensual description: "A narrowing canyon: deep, long and slim, with fluted columns of red sandstone and brickish dented walls. Yellow cinquefoils blooming from niches bob in the noonday breeze. Within the canyon is a fast stream so filled with rocks and boulders that the water can hardly find a course.
The bank is clay and has retreated with the burden of the spring run-off. Along the southern shore is a roadbed; beside it a flock of brewer's blackbirds feed on ticks and water spiders. Their hollow white eyes snap to at the first rumble of an approaching vehicle."

Heffron's use of the first person is an added bonus, taking full advantage of the protagonist's observations of and experiences with his world and its various interactions, and will delight readers looking for a 'you are there' feel in their reading.

From canyons filled with climbing, nature, and water adventures to bars, drinking, and bad debts, Colorado Mandala moves swiftly and easily between very different atmospheres, carrying readers like a river through the eddies, undercurrents, and compelling mystery of human interactions.

There are cave explorations and cockfighting, there's debt and repayment, wilderness encounters, and the coming together of different peoples and personalities - all set against the backdrop of Colorado's natural wonders.

As the story evolves, readers become immersed in the journey, changing relationships between very different protagonists, and an evolving pressure of past upon present which eventually transforms lives and personalities alike:

"I never believed it possible, but now, in this high wilderness timber clear-cut, there was something I had never seen before in my former partner's eyes: murder…as he approached, I remembered another clearing, a clearing not in my life, but in his. A far away jungle clearing that he fought in a long, long time ago. A clearing he had never really left behind. And I thought, 'Here is my best friend. My finest, and most loyal friend, even if there are occasional fisticuffs, here he is out of his mind with a toxic dose of long-held, misplaced guilt: a killing in the past that so devastated him that he is willing to commit a murder in the present to cover it up. Madness.’"

Gripping writing, solid descriptions of friendships, relationships and changes, and the vivid setting of Colorado's wilderness byways: these facets make Colorado Mandala a tapestry of light, sound and color perfect for readers seeking evocative, compelling stories of journey and inspiration."

--- Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advance review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend Brian Heffron.

This is an unusual book about the tangled relationship between Michael, a troubled veteran of the Viet Nam War, his business partner Paul, and their mutual friend Sarah, a war widow with a young son named Stuart.

Paul is undeniably attracted to Sarah, a large-hearted woman, whose fascination with the mandala (a symbol of the universe in Eastern religions) seems to be connected to the mysterious charisma she exudes. But Paul knows that his friend also feels its pull, a fact which causes no end of trouble. For Michael treats him as a trusted ally one moment, and seethes with jealousy the next. When Paul accidentally stumbles on the log Michael kept during the war, he gains deeper insight into what troubles him, but even so, Sarah continues to draw him irresistably. Although Michael finally finds resolution, it does not come without straining their friendship to the limit.

Brian Heffron manages to present the point of view of all of his characters with a lot of sympathy and psychological accuracy. But even the minor characters are memorable, such as Miss Moffat, the "silver-haired cowgirl princess" and the devious and predatory Emiliana. Brian also pays a lot of attention to scenery, describing it in minute and often poetic detail: the reader can feel little Stuart's claustrophic panic in the cave, and the excitement of the crowd at the cockfight, just to give a few examples.

This intense, passionate novel contains a great human drama set against a vividly painted backdrop.

[Julie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

In cosmic terms, I came of age just 'up the street' from where this book takes place. Several hundred miles north, a few dozen east, and about the time that the war in Vietnam officially ended.

It was a time of peace, love, and long hair - lots of long hair. A time that I still miss, after 40 years. So, I may be a bit biased, when it comes to the subject matter of this novel.

Colorado Mandala tells the story of three very typical people of that time and place. If you lived in Colorado in the 70s, you knew someone just like them: the 'Nam vet, the long-haired rock climber, and the hippie chick. Money was handy, but few of us managed to hold on to any for very long. We shared what we had and looked after each other.

Heffron speaks with the voice of my memories. One can see, hear, taste what it was like to simply be, on the edge of the mountains when love was free, most of us ... indulged ourselves, and we celebrated the gifts of nature. But life wasn't as simple as we try to remember.

Like the characters, I knew men who served. And who came back ... changed. They were difficult to know, hard to love, and haunted in ways that I'll never understand. Colorado Mandala is the only book I've read that feels as though it 'gets it'.

If you were there, this story is like traveling back to your youth. For everyone else, Heffron's words will take you where we few, we privileged, came of age.

~*~*~

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary electronic galley of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Daniel Wetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colorado Mandala
Brian Heffron
Little House Books
Published May, 2013

My Rating: Five stars of five.

I asked to review Brian Heffron’s novel of literary fiction, Colorado Mandala, because I saw that it had attracted praise early on, and I wondered what it would be like to read a novel written by a poet. Having finished this moving story, I can say that Colorado Mandala is a poem in novel form. Brian Heffron is a lover. The reader can feel this in the tenderly placed setting of words, like the cut gemstones set in the jewelry so handsomely made by Paul, or the beautifully patterned batiks crafted by the lovely Sarah, two of the main characters. To write what Paul feels when he admires the mandala fashioned in the bun of Sarah’s hair could only be done by a man who understands how it feels to be in love. Brian Heffron loves to set words in magical settings. The narrative of this novel is a love poem.

Much of the action takes place in the gorgeous and rugged outdoors of the mountains of Colorado. Clearly the landscapes of this Western wilderness have shaped Brian Heffron’s spirit. His word-craft soars to high altitudes when he describes the botany and geology of the ageless Rockies. I felt breathless at times. In these giant turns of boulders, caves, and craggy peaks, the main characters hold their own: Paul and Michael, like two enraged mountain goats butting heads to the death, fight for the lithe and sweetly strong Sarah; and little Stuart, Sarah’s perceptive son, whose asthma almost costs him his life in one notable outdoor excursion with the two men who love his mother.
There are minor characters who support the plot, but one is a scene stealer the reader will never forget: the tall, sexy, and frightening Emiliana, who referees a cock fight. She is so energized that I suspect the author knew a person like her.

There are four or five events that move the plot along, and these are skillfully constructed. The reader learns Michael’s secret through Michael’s own writing about his time in Cambodia during the Vietnamese War. Brian Heffron’s creation of Michael’s journal is a literary device that rings highly authentic. Mr. Heffron must have known firsthand the experiences described here, or he must have heard stories that lent to this fiction. I sat in my chair contemplating what that war must have been like for those who had to endure it. In the novel, this experience shattered Michael and threatened to destroy his life and the lives of people who loved him.

In the novel, Michael is in a bar and recites a self-written poem to a spellbound group of rugged, Western mountain people. The poem is delightful, and I can understand why the boozy and jabbering tavern customers settled down to listen, as their local celebrity commanded a stage in the midst of them. At the conclusion of the poem, the audience cheers Michael wildly in appreciation for his work. This is how I felt at the end of the novel, like I had just heard in my heart a poem of wild beauty. I know Brian Heffron’s literary work of love will stay with me like a rhyming poem paced to the speed of my most peaceful days.

[Ben Sharpton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Heffron is one of these uniquely talented authors who can take some plain, ordinary, everyday words and swirl them together in his imagination to create a powerfully visual description of his subject.

His talent shines in Colorado Mandala, a literary love story set in the Colorado Rockies during the 1970s. Heffron paints a picturesque portrait of a love triangle between Paul, Michael and Sarah, young adults living in Pikes Peak. The story takes them on a carefree river adventure, scaling rugged rocky mountains, spelunking deep into underground caves and finally to a deadly Colorado cock fight as Sarah and her son are drawn away from Michael’s abusive relationship to Paul’s strong and stable one.

Brian’s literary skill shines through in descriptions of the beautiful landscape and the intricate relationships in the book. For example, “A trail: A part in the trees leading west out of Manitou. Beaten brown, and wide from use, the Bar Trail leads out of town to the base of Pike's Peak and beyond. Laced into the first range, it crosses a series of streams by wire suspension bridges. This highest trail bridge is a water-pipe spanning a deep, narrow valley.

“Two men are crossing this bridge. One carries a child, wrapped in a blanket, across his back and shoulders. Because the pipe surface is curved, his progress is slow, never releasing a grip on the cable railing. On the far side, a clot of people with medical equipment await the men. A young woman is already one-third of the way out on the bridge, seeking to assist them. The first man scolds her back.”

His writing is satisfying and yet, makes one long for more, like a rich, luxurious desert.

I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Heffron.

[Birgit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the book. In the beginning I thought the book wouldn't be anything for me, because I wasn't really familiar with the subject. I don't know a lot about Colorado, but I actually liked the book. It was fun to read the book and I especially liked the descriptions. The dialogues were sometimes less interesting, because to me they sometimes didn't contribute to the story.

Colorado Mandala tells about the story of two friends who have a little business together. Michael survived the Vietnam War, after which he learns to know Sarah with whom he has later on a relationship. But there are tensions between Michael and Sarah, which doesn't benefit their relationship. When they have arguments, Sarah can always rely on Paul. Does the relationship between Sarah and Michael will keep standing or will they go their own way?

I liked the story, because it's a mix of a lot of ingredients: suspense, love, friendship, jealousy,... Also the descriptions of how life in Colorado was back then are interesting, because I know little of Colorado. But I don't know exactly if it was only fiction or if some items reflect the reality.

What did bother me, was the use of the Spanish. I was pleased to read some Spanish, but I must say that the Spanish wasn't always correct. I found some grammatical errors. I only don't know if it was the intension of the writer to make those mistakes, because Paul doesn't know a lot about Spanish and the use of the Spanish has to reflect that or because the writer doesn't know Spanish good enough.

I got the book in return to write an honest review.

[Barbara Beall · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was about 10 years old in Iowa in the 1950s, a man lived a block away from us who had fought in the First World War and who was described as suffering from "shell shock." One day, I was riding my bicycle and discovered that my chain was twisted. I stopped across the street from his house to remedy the problem, and that's when his voice rang out from the front porch: "You'd better watch out, little girl! The Kaiser is coming, and he's going to get you!" Without further ado--I jumped on my bike and sped away.

People didn't fully understand PSTD until recently. The term "shell shock" was used to apply to earlier sufferers. Brian Heffron tackles the challenge of understanding PSTD through a cast of interesting, colorful characters in his new book, "Colorado Mandala." The opening preface drew me quickly into the opening chapters and held my interest throughout. As with his poetry, Brian Heffron paints a vivid picture of each character by employing the five senses of taste, touch, sight, smell and sound. He creates an excellent picture of each person, allowing the reader to become fully acquainted with the individual. The characters spring to life, and their vivid portrayal heightens the reader's interest.

The action moves swiftly. and the novel is well-paced. Brian Heffron probes deeply into the motivations and understandings of his characters, all of which bind the story together. He invites the reader to reflect upon similar experiences.

I highly recommend this book.

[Susan Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of love, friendship, and loyalty set in 1970’s Colorado.

Paul is our narrator as we find ourselves stepping into the lives of two very different men, who are best of friends, our narrator, and Michael, an ex-Vietnam veteran.

The men are in business together cutting and selling rare gems. They live life to the full together with Michael’s girlfriend, Sarah, her son Stuart and their dog.

The writer sets the scenes wonderfully at the beginning of each chapter and the reader is drawn into Colorado life at this time, the characters are so real and descriptions of events and places so vivid, if you close your eyes you could almost be there!

But even in the freedom loving 70’s some things cannot ultimately be shared, and feelings cannot always be controlled. Their lives unfold before us, emotions laid bare.

Then Paul discovers Michael is keeping a deep secret, kept since his time in Nam, which if told, would change everything.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it has a brilliant story line, which could easily be continued, and as a woman, I especially liked the way it has been told from a man’s perspective.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel fuses poetic verse with gritty contemporary dialogue and solves conflict with love.

Read full review in the 2013 July/August double issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Sondra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Francis Heffron’s ‘Colorado Mandala’

POET’S FIRST NOVEL WINS GOODREADS’
FIRST BOOK OF THE MONTH AWARD!


Colorado Mandala—A Poet Explores PTSD
In Painful, Passionate Prose

I had a lover in college whose older brother, Jim, had just returned from the Viet Nam War. He was the one person my boyfriend was closest to. That year, back on leave, Jim was late for the annual family gathering, but he arrived, a bit disheveled, and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. Then he carefully arranged his gifts around the tree, walked past my boyfriend and his family out onto the deck, drew out a pistol and ended his own life. That, at its most extreme, is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

But the story doesn’t end there. Because PTSD isn’t isolated to one person. It profoundly affects those the sufferer loves best. A couple years later I got the call. My ex-lover, still a close friend, had been in an accident that I knew, as did many others within our circle, was no accident. He simply couldn’t live without Jim. He couldn’t live without the answers to the questions that would, and most probably never could, be answered.

There are many, many cases of PTSD that have nothing to do with war. These are cases, just as debilitating, that arise from horrific circumstances beyond the victim’s control that make each day—each encounter—a battle zone to be entered; and loved ones, at times, sworn enemies.

Former PBS producer, director and nationally acclaimed poet Brian Francis Heffron understands these people. He was in Vietnam and saw the horrors that some of his friends brought home with them.

Within his first novel, Colorado Mandala, he does what has yet to be successfully done in a fictional format. He grapples with PTSD head-on and presents it in all its ugliness. And he does so not in some peer-reviewed psychological treatise few will read, but in a book as spellbinding as it is informed by fact; with characters as fully realized as they are easy to relate to and care about.

In Colorado Mandala we see one man, Paul, as he tries to help his closest friend, Michael, turn away from the foreign nightmare he can’t leave behind. We see Michael reach out to the ready-made family he’s created as his own private form of redemption for what he sees as an irredeemable wrong. Awkwardly, on his own, Michael tries to manage this, unable to share his past nightmare with even his closest friend. But there is simply too much bottled up inside him.

There are four main characters in Colorado Mandala. Like a traditional mandala, where four entry ways are woven that allow access to the center image, which represents the divine light—the eternal deity—the book’s four characters struggle towards the sacred unity within that circle, and within themselves. Along with Michael and Paul, who was also in Viet Nam, there’s; Sarah, Michael’s lover and the widow of Sergeant Stuart Drummond, who was killed in Viet Nam; and Stuart (Jr.), Sarah and Drummond’s son. Along with the blood they share, the spirit of Drummond and young Stuart (who also stands at the powerful threshold of manhood), in many ways seem one and the same. Together, they stand at the same portal to the sacred and together, seem to drive the plot forward, forcing the best and the worst from Michael. the most complex character of all.

Haunted by his recent past, Michael can be frighteningly explosive, and this force is centered on Paul. It presents itself as a tableau of derision, challenge, masochism and outright sadism. Half-way through the book Paul, and we, discover why. This does not answer every question but presents an important element and sheds a new light on his actions, even as he tries to blot out his memories and shortcomings with alcohol, drugs, brawling and ultimately, a culminating fight with Paul, who reveals the secret Michael thought had been hidden from the world forever. This is preceded by a communal cockfight on which the locals have gathered to witness and wager. It anticipates the final drama with a creeping dread and dizzying action authentic to the last detail.

Within a time period Heffron knows well, he expertly explores his characters— each flawed just enough to stir us—to make us care more and more deeply as the tale and its secrets unfold. Through the eyes and pen of an poet we experience firsthand the early seventies high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains near Pikes Peak. A dramatic backdrop of precipitously high cliffs, raging rivers, placid ponds, deep canyons, and a maze of caves below, all set the stage. The nearest town is Manitou, where Paul and Michael have their lapidary jewelry business and Sarah runs her own batik creation shop. We descend the depths of the caves beneath the mountains with Paul, Michael and Stuart for a near deadly adventure. We experience a shower of the senses at a mountainside party and its late-night camaraderie and revelry. People sharing. People loving. Jonie Mitchell in the background and the stars above, Paul and Sarah dance while a malevolent Michael watches from the shadows.

Heffron is at his best in speaking the language of love. When Paul and Sarah first declare the depths of their feelings for each other, strong, centered Sarah takes the lead:

"She stood there with her heart-shaped mouth open only very slightly, her arms around me loosening its grip and then softly sliding across the full length of my back, touching each muscle as she went. Then she held my arm, then my hand, then finally, she let go completely—a stirring sequence I will never forget."

And in the end, once Michael knows that Paul has discovered the deadly decision he made in Vietnam, Paul finds, to his own surprise, that he is ready to fight with and even to die for his old friend to heal Michael, recognizing that he had, as Heffron puts it,

“. . .tried to make things right by bandaging, with his own life, the wound he had inflicted.”

So Paul puts an end to the violence. He takes the blows to break the pact that Michael has made with guilt, to show him that there is a choice, and that choice is love, self-forgiveness, and finally, healing. That to find grace is to take that first step towards the center of the mandala. And to take those he loves, and who love him, along. What he’s left behind, in the shadows beyond the portal, no longer matter. He accepts the opening of peace offered by Paul. And by doing so, he has opened himself.

Does he get the girl and her son; the family he sees as his redemption? Does he heal and hold fast to his friendship with Paul, the bearer of his awful secret and the scapegoat of his guilt? Does he step away from the darkness and into the light? We’re not sure if he does. We’re just not sure what happens as we close the novel. Like life, we’ll never know what happens next. And that seems about right.

Heffron’s magical touch comes to life at the beginning of each chapter, when the third person, the omniscient narrator, (the divine being at the mandala’s center?) speaks:

". . . During the night, a dream; a flash-flood storm washes out a stripe down the mountain. . . Boulders house-high carry out into the valley below for half a mile. A creek and pass are born."

Within such a traumatic opening, seen or unseen by man, a passage, fresh and new, gives access. In Heffron’s able hands we see the difficulties, and the possibilities, that portal affords.

To read Colorado Mandala is to understand a little more about something that’s been hidden. PTSD as seen through Paul’s eyes: Michael— his best friend, and ultimately—his deadly rival. To see Michael’s’ volatility, to see and hear his extreme reactions to small matters, to see his head constantly swivel to scan the terrain ahead for the enemy, to see him hurt himself and those he loves to express the hurt he feels he’s caused and the hurt he feels himself—that is to understand PTSD. The answer is to open oneself—to others, to sunlight, to the joy and trust in a child’s eyes—to the vast humanity of which we’re all a member, for better or for worse—to feel that we are alive, and that every heartbeat is a chance to make all things, great or small, better.


Like William Stryon’s Darkness Visible, the first book that broke the taboo and opened a national discussion on depression as a medical condition, Colorado Mandala has caused a buzz among the National Veteran’s Administration and is one that may well be seen as the first carefully drawn portrait of this condition that cries out so eloquently for attention, both medically and culturally. It is now among the tools distributed to the policy-making clinicians at the VA Center and has been accepted by the Center’s PTSD’s Library/ Database by its director, Dr. Fred Lemer.*

The U.S. has changed forever in the eyes of those with PTSD, but still, it is the U.S.; a country that takes care of, (or should), its own. If it doesn’t, it should be deeply ashamed, and it’s that deep shame that should lead to action.

The victims of PTSD are not the people they were, and never will be again. They can’t relate to the intensity of their loved ones over things that run no deeper than the latest IPhone or who’s been short-listed on Dancing With the Stars. Their loved ones want to help. But how can they treat or embrace a condition so delicate? They need to be taught how. They need to truly understand, as much as they can, what’s taken their child or partner or spouse or parent away forever when they’re sitting right across the table from them.

We all need to understand. And Heffron’s book is a brave, important step in that direction. He has spoken about the unspeakable. But he’s also spoken for hope. For the light that shines from the gates of the mandala—that microcosm of the universe—and shown the way to help the sufferers of PTSD.

Colorado Mandala is a bold, shining beginning. Through the words of a poet, an opening has split with all the tectonic force of a mountain’s sudden subduction. And within it, a gem glimmers in the rising sun. One from which it’s hard to look away.



*A portion of proceeds from the sale of all Colorado Mandala copies will benefit the patients of various PTSD treatment organizations across the country.
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[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

From page 1 the so called author states and Italian girl pulled over and then goes into how the Irish and Italians are at odds. What does this have to do with hitchhiking? A disaster from page 1 on. The premise of PTSD, hitchhiking and the 70's appeals to a small group of people, and even those would be disappointed.

[Tanya Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One man. Alone in his mind, trapped inside himself as he grapples with what happened. Two battles. One that happened in the jungle of Vietnam, the other in his conscience.

Three people. Another man, a woman, and her son. Proof that the struggling man is, in fact, not alone. They are part of the man’s world. They would be part of the man’s world if only he could let them in.

In Colorado Mandala, Brian Heffron brilliantly reveals how post-traumatic stress disorder impacts lives. Michael has been through hell, but, sadly, he hasn’t returned from this hell. Unfortunately, in the 1970s, little was understood about PTSD. The military, society, and victims themselves did understand and could help visible, external wounds. Michael’s wounds were debilitating and devastating, but they were located deep within. No one understood the irritability, the outbursts, the erratic behavior, the wall he didn’t want but erected around himself anyway.

Those close to Michael, his new girlfriend, her son, and Michael’s long-time best friend Paul see how Michael has changed, and they are pained. They hurt for Michael, and they hurt for themselves. They care. Michael wants to care, but his PTSD is a formidable force between them that proves difficult to breach.

Heffron masterfully paints a picture of PTSD and these four lives. The story is perfectly paced and revealed from Paul’s perspective. In creating Paul as the point-of-view character, Heffron takes his message to a deeper level than he would have if Michael had been the point-of-view character. This drives home the truth that PTSD impacts not just the person experiencing it but everyone around him/her as well. Paul helps the reader care more deeply about all of them. It makes practical sense, too, as Michael understandably lacks insight into what’s happening to him. He couldn’t tell his own story, for he understands it even less than Paul does.

Heffron’s writing style itself enhances the story. Chapters open poetically, with beautiful words that vividly paint the setting of the chapter and hint at the chapter’s events. These artful sketches give the objective perspective of an outside observer, and the reader watches, detached, as lives happen. Once the chapter begins in earnest, there is no more detached observation. The chapters themselves take the reader inside the characters—who they are, what they do, and why they feel the way they do. The chapter openings provide the what, and the chapters provide the why and the emotion of the why.

Through picturesque words and poetic analogies, Brian Heffron shows readers not just what PTSD is but how it is. Colorado Mandala is an important story. I highly recommend this beautiful novel.

-- Tanya J. Peterson, NCC, author of Leave of Absence, a novel about schizophrenia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Debra Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tender, moving, honest, and real. Brian Heffron, already known for his handmade poetry chapbook "Sustain me with Your Breath" has created an inspiring, honest, and real experience for readers with his "Colorado Mandala". This tale is told with tender care from Paul's POV, who seems to be a bit lost in the world around him, but functioning, productive, caring, trying to work and live life, and moving on after his war experience. Supportive of his closest and dearest friend Michael, who seems to be tormented, self-destructive, and lost, he is not surprised when he reads a journal entry that positively sheds light on why Michael behaves the way he does and how connected he is with Sara in a way that he never wants her to know.

PTSD is represented in a very real way in this novel. Today we see PTSD as a recognized condition. In the time period that the story takes place, there would have been little or no knowledge of what it was or why or how to deal with it and that, in and of itself, was a huge problem for Veterans in this time period. The reader definitely gets a bird's eye view of what life would have been like for the average male in that time frame and how very different war and the resulting PTSD can affect people. Paul and Michael were both definitely affected by their time in the service, but in very different ways due to having had different experiences.

As Michael and Paul both move through the story, I had a sense that the world was moving around them and they were both trying to figure out how to fit in it after their experiences in the Vietnam War changed them forever. The location and events around them were vividly described so that this south-eastern mountain girl could almost feel the heat radiating up from the desert sands and the brilliance of the stars at night over the terrain.

From an editorial perspective, I found the book moved along at a nice pace but then ended too soon. The character development could have been more thorough. I would have preferred a bit more description about their physical appearance and characteristics to be able to "see" them more clearly while I read. There were many proofreading errors as well, including repetitive words, transposed words, and punctuation errors (especially serial commas) that caused me to stumble as I read.

Despite the proofreading errors, my comments on the editorial perspective are subjective and somewhat influenced by simply wanting the book not to end when it did. That can certainly be attributed to the writer having endeared these characters to me and peaking my interest in the events around them with his skill and obvious passion for the story.

I would definitely recommend this book.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you grow up in the 70s? I mean really grow up. Did you watch friends go off to Viet Nam, only to come back changed, or worse, “damaged” by what they saw and did? Did you see relationships crumble because of a conflict thousands of miles away? Or, maybe you saw boys go to war and come back stronger, quieter, more honorable than when they left? If, like me, the answer to any or ALL of those questions is yes, Colorado Mandala will rock you to your core as you are taken back in time, to an era that was reacting to the pressures of the times. Brian Heffron has created, with his words, a masterpiece, an encapsulated collage of the era that will enlighten those who do not know what the 70s were really like, refresh the memories of those who do and shine a brutal light on the effects of PTSD to society. By using the intertwined lives of three young people in the Colorado Rockies, each uniquely different, yet bound by emotions and loyalty, Mr. Heffron brings to life a story steeped in color, tension and realism. From the gritty bars to the rivers and woods of nature, bonds are tested, dark secrets revealed as nightmares are revisited and lives are changed forever.

I cannot express how deeply Colorado Mandala touched me and reminded me of friends lost to the nightmares within. That said, this is a story of life, with rich detail to the scenery, the wild beauty of the terrain and the inner beauty of each character! Thank you, Brian Heffron for the chance to read and get lost in Colorado Mandala!

Publication Date: May 2, 2013
Publisher: Little House Books
ISBN: 0615760406
Number of Pages: 255
Genre: Adult Fiction
My Rating: 5 stars

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[Kathleen Guler · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his novel Colorado Mandala, Brian Francis Heffron vividly captures and weaves together the mysterious bonds of Vietnam veterans, the hippie culture in Colorado of the 1970s, and the devastating effects of PTSD. The story circles around the evolving relationships of the narrator Paul, his best friend and business partner Michael, and Michael’s girlfriend Sarah. Michael, harboring a terrible secret from the war, is bent on self-destruction and driving away everyone around him. Though sometimes a willing participant in his friend’s drinking and brawling, Paul accidentally uncovers the secret, putting himself in the midst of a dilemma. A veteran himself, Paul understands Michael’s PTSD, but as their friendship deteriorates and Sarah is caught in the middle, he finds it increasingly difficult to believe their relationship will survive.

Having a brother and numerous friends who survived the horrors of the Vietnam war, I deeply appreciate that Heffron has written with brutal honesty about the psychological aftermath that war survivors suffer, some worse than others but always buried in every one of them. Even after decades, very few are able to talk about their experiences and sometimes erupt in drinking, drugs and violence that make matters worse. To a degree the hippie counterculture of the 1970s was probably a reaction to US involvement in Vietnam, and those of us who visited or lived in Colorado found the magnificent Rocky Mountain West a place to seek peace in its beauty. Unfortunately, wherever we go, we take ourselves and our problems with us. Colorado Mandala is a compelling read about the quest for inner calm; the climactic scene is heartrending. My only wish is that the conclusion following it would more completely address how the relationship of all three characters was going to resolve. I hope that means a sequel as heartfelt and honest as this book is in the works.

[Aubrey Coletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one might expect from a poet like author Brian Francis Heffron, his novel "Colorado Mandala" is a richly lyrical book, with delicious descriptions that make it a pleasure to visualize its every character and scene. This contrasts nicely with the roughness of its main characters, and the uneven lives they are busy living. Michael Boyd Atman, the rugged Green Beret Viet Nam veteran hippie poet, overflowing with charm and damage, feels especially real; he's the kind of charismatic, dangerous screen stealer you want to see played in the movie version by a class A Hollywood actor — or an unknown who can use the part for their big break. Sarah, the sensual dancer and titular love interest of both main male characters, is seen through the eyes of narrator Paul, so she's always colored by his impressions, making her even more ethereal to the reader than Paul believes her to be himself.

The story really kicks into gear when Paul uncovers Michael's Viet Nam diary, and we get the kind of classic conflicted war story secret so popular with audiences, and so sadly possible in reality. The internal action of the characters and the action of the past is balanced with action in the present that makes strong use of the setting, particularly a dangerous foray into the Colorado mountain caves with Sarah's son, Stuart. "Colorado Mandala" is a slow burn of a book, one that takes its time richly painting each character and scene, riling up the strife between Michael and Paul, until the final, violent climax.

Overall, "Colorado Mandala" is a lushly drawn, deeply felt little book. At times the dialogue can feel slightly stilted, but it's more often gritty and believable, an accurate reflection of strongly realistic characters. For fans of poetry; for connoisseurs of Viet Nam veteran novels; and for those who just love immersing themselves in a truly American atmosphere, "Colorado Mandala" is worth checking out.

[Sabina Bundgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit this from the beginning. Colorado Mandala isn’t what I would’ve picked up in the bookstore, but only a few pages in, I was hooked by the story. The dysfunctional relationship between Paul, Michael, Sarah and her son Stuart caught right in the middle.
This story goes deep into their lives, shows the good and the bad, the beauty, the ugly and everything in between.
Paul and Michael are partners in the gem business, Sarah has her batik business. Michael is an old Vietnam soldier, and like so many others, he has trouble with reconciling his old life with the army, and his new one. And there’s a good reason for that. I won’t tell you, you have to read the story for yourself. I will tell you, that the deeper you get into the story, the more the plot thickens. I found myself turning page after page (well, scrolling, but you get my point), cursing at Michael, rooting for Sarah to leave the unhealthy relationship she has with Michael, cheering even more when I saw the attraction growing between Paul and Sarah, the budding friendship between Stuart and Paul, and I was horrified to see what Michael did to himself.
The culmination of this book is a slow build that suddenly explodes, and it leaves you even more breathless.
This is a complex story about friendship, trust, acceptance and exactly what true love can do for you.
I do NOT regret picking up Colorado Mandala, it was an amazing read, very realistic, very rough to read in places, sometimes downright frightening, but amazing. Absolutely amazing.

[Ann Snizek · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Colorado Mandala is a colorfully told story about a Vietnam vet and his relationships with people years later. Well, that is part of it. What I found is that it is more about people who interact with the war time vet.

Written from the POV of Paul, the best friend of Michael, the vet, this story seemed more like a literary love story between Paul and Sarah.

It was slow and dry in my opinion for a large section at the beginning, but it did pick up later on. I'm not used to literary fiction and usually struggle with it, but I'm glad I read this one. There were several touching moments.

Though it isn't what I'm used to reading, it was well written and descriptive. The connections between the characters were clear and well developed.

I think the hardest part for me to accept would be the ending. Not because of the quality of writing, but for the handling of the PTSD issue. Given that I struggle with this problem myself, I have difficulty agreeing with the direction the author took with this problem... in the sense of real to life situations. I don't want to go into it too much and give things away.

If you like literary fiction, I would highly recommend this. The glimpse of Colorado life was enough to keep me reading.

[Chasity · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Colorado Mandala’ was a beautifully written book. I thought Brian’s descriptions of the Colorado landscape was done perfectly. Colorado came alive before my eyes. Brian’s also captured the emotions of these three friends so well. The characters were so different and yet he captured them so beautifully.

I definitely think his background as a poet really helped him in writing this very descriptive novel. The way the words flowed right off the page with such artistic talent, you can tell this man has some serious writing talents.

I also really enjoyed the fact that Brian addressed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If you have read some of my other reviews you already know how I feel about soldiers and the sacrifice they make for us. PTSD is one major drawback of that sacrifice. I think it is always honorable and courageous when an author addresses issues such as PTSD head on, when a lot of others shy away from such daunting topics.

Brian’s characters paint a realistic portrait of how their lives go on after war has damaged them forever.
It is a truly moving, touching, beautiful story that was written perfectly in my opinion. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Tammielyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it is possible for a book without photographs to be called visual, this would be the book I would choose. Every page seemed like it could be re-created on screen. From the beginning of the story with Michael's telling of the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee", Paul reading the old combat journal, the underground cave rescue, all the way through to the emotional ending of the book, you feel like you're right there with Paul and Michael every step of the way as they both struggle to make their lives mean something. Every beautiful word of this story was chosen with precision without ever once sounding forced. Colorado Mandala is a flawless example of how to intertwine poetry, nature, and fiction into a truly exceptional book.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colorado Mandala is a passionate novel about life, love, and healing. Eloquently written, the story explores the life of a Green Beret Vietnam Veteran, as seen through the eyes of his close friend, and the lives' of those effected by his downward spiral. Shocking secrets are revealed and only by accepting the truth can healing begin.

I found Colorado Mandala to be a compelling story. The author's ample attention to every detail breathes life into the story. He vividly describes Pike's Peak in all its splendor and his vast knowledge of the area is evident. Each character is carefully created in the same manner giving readers a well written and fully developed novel that is captivating from beginning to end.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Colorado Mandala.

[Mercia McMahon]

This book gives a good depiction of rural and mountainous Colorado, although the story was hard to pin down. It is partly a story of a male friendship between a Vietnam veteran and his business colleague falling apart and partly a love story involving the woman caught between them. I had expected it to explore the inner feelings of the characters, but it was primarily an action based narrative.

[Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where to begin after such a journey? The descriptions are so visceral and the characters so real that when Paul is injured tubing down a waterfall, I felt actual physical sympathy pain. Read it with The Doors (Crystal Ship) and Joni Mitchell playing in the background for a complete time travel trip!

[Author Options · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible read, in the same vein as Kerouac. I loved the character development and setting depiction. It was never forced or overly wordy, but yet I somehow knew these people and knew the location. Awesome read!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend "Colorado Mandala" to the general adult public. It is a story that appeals to romance readers, those who have suffered traumatic incidents-especially with post traumatic stress disorder, military types, action lovers, and baby boomers, to name a few.

[Lisa Mcmahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have not read it yet but brian writes good poems. Please support his writing. I am sure it is getting good ratings.

[Claire Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, fully realized, generously crafted story on male friendship and the deep wounds motivating main character, Michael, as told through the perspective of his intimately effected best friend and business partner, Paul.
Michael is a Vietnam war vet, with a festering secret underscoring his high-living, swaggering behavior. He is a man’s man to his core: streetwise and wary, cocksure and battle-scarred with his own code of honor. It is post-war 1970’s Manitou Springs, Colorado, and author Brain Francis Heffron captivates the reader with such panoramic descriptions of the Pike’s Peak area at such a finely-tuned altitude as to cast the environment as sacred, while the reader all but breathes the clear mountain air.
The title of this book is inspired by Sarah, the wispy and vulnerable single mother at the center of a lover’s triangle, who paints batik images on silk and twists her long flaxen hair in a bun. Michael is protective of Sarah from an unfolding hidden agenda. Paul struggles with the duality of his building feelings for Sarah and loyalty to Michael. In the expert hands of writer Heffron, each character plays off the others with such reasonable impetus, Colorado Mandala reads like a treatise in deep-seated psychological motivation.
This book is astoundingly action-packed and character-driven. It takes the reader into dark caves and sets them in the gambling center of a mountain party’s cockfight. It is seamlessly paced and weaves minute visual images with poetically descriptive narratives and uncommon use of language. I understand Mr. Heffron is a poet, and it shows. There isn’t a weak sentence in the engaging Colorado Mandala, and I held my breath at its end, during one of the best literary denouements I’ve ever read. Colorado Mandala is the very definition of a page-turner. It will make you a fan of author Brian Francis Heffron, and is the kind of book you’ll recommend to your friends.

[Deborah Call · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0 out of 5 stars deeply soulful and transformative
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 31, 2021
Verified Purchase
Colorado Mandala by Brian Heffron
In Reading Brian Heffron’s novel Colorado Mandala one is transported back to the 1970s, an era that not only defined a generation but one that unleashed a prodigious world of music, art, and style that remains unparalleled today. Unfortunately the cost of this wondrous artistic freedom co-existed at a time of extreme disillusionment and violence resulting from the war in Viet Nam.
Throughout this journey of poetic prose Heffron exposes the reader to the humanist values resulting from the tumult of that time. Heffron's skillful weaving together of the intricacies and personalities of his characters, with their particular vulnerabilities exposes each of them in such a way as to express the rich beauty and deep wounds that are part not only of the post VietNam American experience but to life itself.
Within a utopian Colorado landscape Michael, a former Green Beret and his best friend Paul are partners in a turquoise jewelry business while their shared love interest Sarah paints batiks. Sarah has a child from a former spouse, which figures into the overall plot of the story. Deeply buried trouble surfaces over which the novel unfolds baring the complexities of human relationships. Paul sees the bun that Sarah wears in her hair as a mandala which like Sarah herself represents the interconnectedness of life and love.
I loved this book and feel that it is remarkable not only for its brilliant capture of a vibrant era but for Heffron’s ability to see into the soul of human suffering and transformation. The cadence of his prose sweeps one along at a pace that varies from languid to frenetic as the texture of the novel varies.
Though anyone will enjoy reading this deeply soulful novel, those who experienced the 1960s and 70s and their aftermath will find it especially rewarding.

[V.S. Kemanis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Colorado Mandala, author Brian Heffron conveys a reverence for nature and human relationships in beautiful prose and interesting metaphor. The characters are well drawn, and their story kept me reading. Having lived through the time period of this novel, I found the characters and situations authentic, bringing back some memories (not all good).

The preface, in which the author describes his own hitchhiking adventures, was one of my favorite parts of this novel. I would love to read a full length book or a collection of vignettes by Heffron recounting his experiences traveling around the country, with colorful renderings of the countryside and the people he encountered. Another favorite part of this novel for me was the lengthy entry in Michael’s journal, narrating his experiences in Vietnam. I was drawn into the dilemma and the danger he faced, as if I were there.

This novel was almost five stars for me, but a few aspects diminished my full enjoyment. For my taste, the love story was a bit too sentimental. Much of the dialogue was unrealistic and stilted, most notably near the end during the confrontation between Paul and Michael, detracting from the tension and drama. Although a copyeditor is credited on the title page, there were more than a few dozen distracting grammatical and typographical mistakes. In all, however, the author has a talent for description, and I found this novel a unique, compelling, and worthwhile read.