The Ghost of Vincent van Gogh: A Love Story

by Candice Petrocova

“At death we are but the memories of our battles, our kindnesses, and our conversations with God.” Sheehan Xavier Donovan is a famous Irish pianist, and the world is his playground. That is, until a night of drinking and driving kills his only brother and another man–the son of a prominent judge. Left partially crippled, he serves a harrowing year in an Irish penitentiary, and his successful career is over. Upon his release, his wealthy father exiles him to a secluded beach house in Maine where he lives alone for five years, emotionally dead. But in a twist of fate, Sheehan receives redemption and a new reason to live . . . He saves the life of his neighbor, Colette (Coal) Aurora Theroux, a gifted French painter and reclusive alcoholic who creates replicas of famous paintings from the Renaissance period and who talks to the ghost of Vincent van Gogh–a specter she has created in her mind. Coal has spurned his friendship until now as she continues to struggle with her past, unable to move on from tragedies of her own. But Sheehan is determined to break her hard outer shell. A passionate love affair soon transpires between the pianist and the painter forming a seemingly unbreakable bond . . . until the past comes back to haunt them both. Fate is not done with them yet as they both spiral in different directions–one that leads Sheehan to create the greatest opera he has ever written, and the other that sends Coal on a trip around the world to heal from her pain. Both damaged and dysfunctional, these two broken souls eventually find solace in each other by the sea, and in the end, the true meaning of life, love, and God. Candice Petrocova’s inspiring new novel is a dramatic tale filled with shining characters, gripping dialogue, prolific scenes, and beautiful descriptions of historical art and classical music. In the same manner as the award-winning novels The Piano and Life of Pi, The Ghost of Vincent van Gogh embodies intelligent, hidden meanings and valuable lessons about the human spirit, self-discovery and healing, and the ignorance of racism . . . This is a powerful story you will not soon forget!

706 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2017