Author Greg Fields Releases THROUGH THE WATERS AND THE WILD

Author Greg Fields, whose anticipated debut novel Arc of the Comet was released in 2017, is back to continue Conor Finnegan's story with even more ambitious writing in Through the Waters and the Wild [Koehler Books, January 15, 2021]. Over the course of several decades, this introspective tale follows Conor's grandfather, Liam Finnegan, who flees his native land and abandons the passion and purpose of his inner nature. Fields takes readers to the farmlands of Ireland, the Irish Civil War, and the powerful corridors of Washington, all while exploring the interior landscapes against which we seek to find identity and meaning. With rich and complex characters, he seeks to address such timeless and essential questions as: "Where shall I go now? What shall I do?"

Fields strongly believes, "the answers to these questions are not nearly as important as the asking of them and when we fail to ask ourselves those questions, we cease to be truly alive." Possessing a unique lyrical intensity, Through the Waters and the Wild seeks to capture the universal questions of purpose and place that the author maintains each and every person should be addressing in life.

In addition to exploring topics such as the Irish American experience today and the impact of the Irish Civil War, Fields also grapples with key existential questions and explores themes including:

• Discovery of purpose by stripping away the expectations of others. It takes great courage and self-awareness to strip away the expectations of others and listen to the inner voices that define who we really are.
• Exile of both place and character. In bowing to the expectations of others and the pressures of conformity, everyone runs the risk of exile.
• Redemption after exile. The process of redemption which comes at last through a recognition of one's most basic and fundamental purpose. A single event, an accidental meeting, the press of a stranger's hand might trigger a revelation, and that revelation might uncover new clues of purpose, place and passion. As we are all exiled in some measure from who we truly are and are meant to be, we all carry within us the potential for return.
• The haunting of past mistakes. How do we reconcile ourselves to those mistakes? Do we dwell on damage done or the bruises we ourselves suffered? What are the contours of forgiveness, and is self-forgiveness the most significant form of penance for what we've done wrong?

Literary fiction at its finest, Through the Waters and the Wild is destined to become a classic that generations of readers will cherish and want to visit time and again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Greg Fields is the author of Arc of the Comet, a lyrical, evocative examination of promise, potential and loss, published by Koehler Books in October 2017. Arc of the Comet explores universal themes in a precise, lyrical style inspired by the work of Niall Williams, Colm Toibin and the best of Pat Conroy, who had offered a jacket quote for the book shortly before his death. The book has been nominated for the Cabell First Novelist Award, the Sue Kaufman First Fiction Prize and the Kindle Book of the Year in Literary Fiction.

He is also the co-author with Maya Ajmera of Invisible Children: Reimagining International Development from the Grassroots. He has won recognition for his written work in presenting the plight of marginalized young people through his tenure at the Global Fund for Children, and has had articles published in the Harvard International Review, as well as numerous periodicals, including The Washington Post and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. His short nonfiction has appeared in The Door Is A Jar and Gettysburg Review literary reviews.

Greg holds degrees from Rutgers College and the University of Notre Dame. He lives with his wife Lynn and their son Michael in Manassas, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.gregfields.net or connect with him on Instagram and Facebook.

Through the Waters and the Wild will be available wherever books are sold 1.15.21

To post a comment, you must register and login.