Van Allen's Ecstasy

by Jim Tushinski

Book Overview

Born into an extraordinarily talented family, 29-year-old Michael Van Allen is the gay son of a well-known concert pianist and an equally famous painter. All his life, he has yearned for the talent... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560234555
• ISBN13: 9781560234555
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Southern Tier Editions
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Descent into Rage

Tushinski, Jim. "Van Allen's Ecstasy", Lethe Press Reprint, 2010. Descent into Rage Amos Lassen Michael Van Allen was born into a family of great talent. At 29 he realizes that his whole life has been spent in yearning for the talent and creativity of his father (His father is a well-known concert pianist and painter) which he felt had been denied him. He suddenly wakes up in a mental hospital with no sense of memory caused by a breakdown during one of his father's performances. As he begins to find the pieces to the puzzle of his forgotten life, he discovers obsessions and jealousies as well as secret desires that could possibly destroy him yet again. When Michael comes to in the hospital he also cannot remember anything about his partner, Paul so we see that his entire prior life is gone from his mind. We are taken into Michael's mind and we are witness to a mystery beginning. He is torn between insanity and obsession and it is only when he finds a journal with thoughts from his past that he can actually begin to function. This is the story of one man's discovery as he searches for the missing pieces of his life. Tushunski writes lustrous prose and the narrative is laden with description.iThe plot flows and the author has painted characters for us that become part of us. We are very lucky that Lethe Press has reprinted this book so we can have it around us for some time to come.

Back from the black?

Michael Van Allen is a young man who is awash in successful relatives-his father is a famous composer, his mother a well-known painter, and his siblings Karl and Sara are, respectively, an attorney and columnist. It's not for not trying-Michael has taken several paths in the arts to try for success, and now works as a file clerk. Michael wakes up in a mental hospital, where he's received treatment supposedly after screaming through one of his father's concerts. But he can't remember anything-nothing about his past, nor why he has a partner, Paul. It's like being in a world of strangers-only they know all about you! This imaginative concept provides a gripping read. It's especially captivating when Michael discovers his old journal and begins reading the entries. Somehow, reading his own words about his past rekindle dark emotions. This had to be a challenging story to write, and, fortunately for us, was brilliantly done.

A psychological thriller!

From the first sentence, the reader is plunged into the mind of Michael Van Allen: and the mystery begins. Who is he? Who was he? What happened? As he struggles to regain his memory, we gather the clues with him, and it's difficult to put this book down until we reach the climax. Engagingly written, with a roster of memorable characters; you can almost hear the piano soundtrack in the background as you join Michael's journey.

This astonishing debut novel gripped us with its story.

This astonishing debut novel gripped us with its story of an institutionalized young gay man, and we knew within a matter of pages that we had a new 2004 Violet Quill finalist on our hands. The gripping set-up: 29-year-old Michael Van Allen wakes up in a mental hospital with no idea who he is nor why he is there. The son of incredibly talented parents (a mother who is a famous painter and a father who is a concert pianist), Michael is told by his doctor that he suffered a screaming breakdown at a performance. Now, he walks a line between obsession and insanity as he tries to piece together his past. . . . Why was he institutionalized? Why does he have no memory of his life, his family, his own identity? Who is "Sasha," the ghostly presence that haunts him with mysterious advice? It is only when Michael returns to the apartment he used to share with his boyfriend, Paul, and discovers a journal he'd hidden away that his troubled past begins to come back to him. Michael could either face reality and free himself at last, or careen even deeper into insanity. Van Allen's Ecstasy will keep you reading until the last page to find out.Reviewed by:InsightOut Book Club catalog

"IMMENSELY SATISFYING." Immediately engages the reader...

"A FASCINATING ENTRÉE into the mind of Michael Van Allen, who has undergone a nervous breakdown during a performance by his famous father of Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 5. Tushinski masterfully achieves a rich portrait of Michael's internal struggle for sanity, as well as powerful characterizations of those around him. Tushinski's sensitive and confident command of language immediately engages the reader...IMMENSELY SATISFYING."Reviewed by:Jim Van Buskirk,Program ManagerJames C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian CenterSan Francisco Public Library