Chasing the Sun

by Christopher Fahy

To Chamberlain College in the small Maine town of Garfield comes Harry Callahan, a Maine-born aging and dyspeptic poet, to receive an honorary degree. He gets the degree all right, but in the process manages to disrupt his home town, his friends of long ago, his reputation, and the college. The depiction of the artist's life in the United States is disturbingly accurate and hilariously described, with Harry Callahan as the shambling, overweight, incurably honest example. CHASING THE SUN is Fahy's comedic and humane triumph.

175 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2005

Reviews

[Davene Fahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and even though it was written by my husband, Christopher Fahy, that is an honest statement. This short novel tells the story of a cantankerous poet from Maine who comes back to his home state bitter that he is not received as he feels he should be. The characters that he meets on this return, are well worth getting to know.

[Lavelle Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It makes one stop and think about another person's struggles. Chasing the Sun is a great example of a writer who truly understands the mind and the many ways in which it can work. Now, he has done it in Chasing the Sun. The main character is certainly suffering in so many ways. What events led him to this point? Fahy allows the character to relate his unhappiness through another character who is assigned to him for a few days prior to his receiving an honorary doctorate at his old alma mater. At every turn of the page we can either empathize with him or dislike him as he struggles to find that next poem and that lost sense of belonging that he appears to be missing. We can get a glimpse of how the sad and disappointing events in life can mold us and make us rue the changes that have occurred in a place in which we grew up. We can also feel for this character who simply can no longer find his happiness. One of the most important reasons for reading great books is to learn about the struggles of others and how they can or cannot find that place of peace.