Life's Twists and Turns

Call it the drama of the prodigal son in reverse. Flamboyant Maulus Shane exudes chic and charm in social circles in his hometown Dorros, in the Republic of Zollara on the sunny African continent. While he splurges his wealth to indulge his fantasies and pleasures he unconscionably abandons his son, Johan, to uncertain fate at the tender age of twelve. Some years later Maulus sets out to seek the now prosperous son as his only hope of salvation in his senile, diseased and impoverished time of adversity. The puzzle is how will Johan welcome the prodigal father whom he least expects to ever encounter face to face? Complicating the issue is Johan's own search for answers to the unresolved cold-blooded murder of his beloved mother years ago, for which the father possibly holds the key. Will father and son each receive closure from the other through the mutual needs that they share? There is the benign uncle, Peter Shane, who bridges the gap between father and son in lives interweaved by twists and turns like a meandering forest path. He harbors an agonizing secret that yearns to be exorcised, but at the risk of dreadful consequences. The drama of soul-searing and heart-wrenching paternal and filial relationships at cross-purposes wreaks havoc on the lives of hapless characters entangled in the web of controversy. Johan?s charismatic wife, Cherie, tries to play mitigating roles that lead to her scheming behind the scenes. Picturesque descriptions immerse the reader right into the action spots and into the lives of the characters. The shocking denouement catches both characters and readers off guard. Valuable lessons, as well as much food for thought, will linger in the mind of the reader well beyond the pages of ?Twists & Turns.?