Brittle Lives (ePub)

Love, in all its positive and negative aspects, often serves as the defining test of a person's character. These stories show that redemption implies a preexisting state of despair, and such despair can all too often be a by-product of love.All of the stories are set in Poland with different aspects of Polish culture serving as their backdrop.

Timelessness
If all love is destined to evolve into indifference, then disappointment and cynicism must be the fruits of any love. At least this is what David believes until he finds redemption in the most unexpected way.

Poles Apart
Is there any need for the Church in modern Poland? John, an idealistic young priest, decides that it is time for the Church to return to its non-political roots, only to find that this road leads to both his own ruin and, ultimately, to his control over the fate of the entire nation.

Shattered Skies
Love can always lead to manipulation and destruction, for love is power and, like any power, it can be used as a means of control. Often, those controlled unwittingly help construct the mechanism that will destroy them. When Peter, a naïve artist from the countryside, encounters the sophisticated society of the big city and the irresistible charms of Alicia, he learns that love and life have no moral boundaries.

The White Bus
Brian, an American living a prosperous life in Poland, has his world suddenly torn apart when he loses his wealth and, with it, his wife, family, and friends. Within despair, he finds an enlightened innocence and begins rebuilding his life, little knowing that he is heading for the greatest trial of his life.