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Enso & Bound in Neon
This specially priced edition presents both Enso and Bound in Neon in their entirety for one special price. Enso and Bound in Neon are two completely distinct novels – connected only by their author’s having lived in Asia while conceiving them. While previous readers may wish to purchase this set as a tidy way of having both novels in one place, or as a handy way of sharing both stories with a fellow traveler, it should be made clear that this collection includes no additional material other than the two original novels.
Whether you are encountering these characters for the first time, or whether this collection constitutes an encounter with old friends, I thank you for your support and hope you will enjoy your journeys through Osaka and Macau. ~ Stephen McGrath, January 1, 2015.
Enso:
Far more than the story of a dancer, Enso is the story of the dance itself. It tells the story of Connor, an American who has everything one would seem to desire, and Maruko, a Japanese ballerina for whom the world simply cannot arrive fast enough.
Their week in Osaka features castles, gardens and a museum, where together they stand before a collection of Enso. These Japanese Zen circles, drawn beginning to end in one brushstroke, give a framework to so much of their blossoming relationship. Where did their unspoken longing for one another originate? Where is it destined to arrive? In the Enso, Connor and Maruko find a mirror to their individual worlds and a preview of that which they might create together.
But is the future only theirs to decide? So often, our pasts resurface to victimize our futures. Is this Connor and Maruko’s fate as well? Will their dream remain an unwritten romance or does love sometimes come back around for one more dance?
Enso is the story we’ve always told ourselves in the mirror as we swear we’ll see our next opportunity through to completion. It is the story of that one time we each wish for when love comes back around so that we can finish that which we had only just begun.
Bound in Neon:
Years after the conclusion of her harrowing abduction, a woman sits in a faraway café longing only to tell the story which has increasingly become her greatest burden.
Bound in Neon is the story of many things.
It is the story of Macau–to some a playground; to others, a cobblestone prison complex encased in neon and pastel.
It is the story of how that neon can entice, and it is the story of how it can blind as well.
Come bask in my spotlight, the neon says, all the while hoping you won’t question the price paid by the smiling faces that surround you.
Bound in Neon is the story of those very smiling faces, and it is the story of how they got to Macau in the first place (it wasn’t by choice).
It is the story of what it feels like to be trapped, and of how one can occasionally escape.
Bound in Neon dares to tell the story of true freedom, a gift which can often only be granted by the most altruistic of souls.
Bound in Neon is the story of good men who fail and terrible men filled with love.
It is the story of speakers and writers whose words hold far different meanings depending on where one whispers, shouts or scrawls their tale.
How many times have you wanted to change the world, but felt your hands were tied? What if this had truly been the case? Bound in Neon is the story of how one woman found her freedom. It is the story of what she must now do to say this word without wincing, for something in this declaration still rings untrue.
Whether you are encountering these characters for the first time, or whether this collection constitutes an encounter with old friends, I thank you for your support and hope you will enjoy your journeys through Osaka and Macau. ~ Stephen McGrath, January 1, 2015.
Enso:
Far more than the story of a dancer, Enso is the story of the dance itself. It tells the story of Connor, an American who has everything one would seem to desire, and Maruko, a Japanese ballerina for whom the world simply cannot arrive fast enough.
Their week in Osaka features castles, gardens and a museum, where together they stand before a collection of Enso. These Japanese Zen circles, drawn beginning to end in one brushstroke, give a framework to so much of their blossoming relationship. Where did their unspoken longing for one another originate? Where is it destined to arrive? In the Enso, Connor and Maruko find a mirror to their individual worlds and a preview of that which they might create together.
But is the future only theirs to decide? So often, our pasts resurface to victimize our futures. Is this Connor and Maruko’s fate as well? Will their dream remain an unwritten romance or does love sometimes come back around for one more dance?
Enso is the story we’ve always told ourselves in the mirror as we swear we’ll see our next opportunity through to completion. It is the story of that one time we each wish for when love comes back around so that we can finish that which we had only just begun.
Bound in Neon:
Years after the conclusion of her harrowing abduction, a woman sits in a faraway café longing only to tell the story which has increasingly become her greatest burden.
Bound in Neon is the story of many things.
It is the story of Macau–to some a playground; to others, a cobblestone prison complex encased in neon and pastel.
It is the story of how that neon can entice, and it is the story of how it can blind as well.
Come bask in my spotlight, the neon says, all the while hoping you won’t question the price paid by the smiling faces that surround you.
Bound in Neon is the story of those very smiling faces, and it is the story of how they got to Macau in the first place (it wasn’t by choice).
It is the story of what it feels like to be trapped, and of how one can occasionally escape.
Bound in Neon dares to tell the story of true freedom, a gift which can often only be granted by the most altruistic of souls.
Bound in Neon is the story of good men who fail and terrible men filled with love.
It is the story of speakers and writers whose words hold far different meanings depending on where one whispers, shouts or scrawls their tale.
How many times have you wanted to change the world, but felt your hands were tied? What if this had truly been the case? Bound in Neon is the story of how one woman found her freedom. It is the story of what she must now do to say this word without wincing, for something in this declaration still rings untrue.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2014
About the author
Stephen McGrath
3 books48 followersI'm the author of two books, but I'm really here for the same reason as many of you. I love narrative. I love it in songs, I love it over dinner. I love it when spoken, I love it when implied, but more than anything else I love it when it is written. The written word, if it's why you're here too, why not send me a friend request?
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