Journey To Love
Peter Gebeshian
ISBN: 9780595383337
iUniverse
Reviewed By Linda Waterson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
Zeus
is everything you'd come to expect from someone with such a name: tall,
statuesque, savvy, sophisticated, and with a chiseled physique, he is a
veritable god among men. A successful music executive, Zeus appears to
have it all – until New Year's Eve, 1999, when the progress of his life
is brought to a screeching halt in a horrific multi-car pileup on the
freeway. His extensive injuries leave him homebound, unable to do
anything other than reflect on the life that he's lived thus far – and
be forced to remember things he long ago tried to forget…
Azad
has always felt like something was missing in his life. Growing up as a
lonely only child, he's always used his imagination to entertain and
amuse himself, particularly since no one his age was around to do it
for him. Moreover, his quiet, shy demeanor has always made it difficult
for him to endear himself to others, and the protective wall that he
eventually constructs around himself makes it even harder for others to
do so in return. One day, though, he meets someone who strikes a chord
deep down inside of him, and he begins to believe that his days of
emotional isolation are finally over…
Zeus and Azad soon embark
on similar journeys of spiritual introspection, during which they both
recall the transformative and painful experiences of their individual
and collective pasts. Everyone has secrets, and Zeus and Azad are no
exceptions – but not everyone's are as momentous and potentially
damaging as theirs…
In Journey To Love,
author Peter Gebeshian presents the reader with the moving stories of
two different men on two different paths to the same shared destiny.
Their lives appear to be extremely different, but the emotional context
of their respective spiritual struggle is strikingly similar, and they
ultimately find that they have more in common than they could ever
imagine.
Commendably, Gebeshian paints both men, as well as the
supporting cast of characters, in such a realistic light that their
situations are literally ripped from the everyday lives of everyone
struggling to come to grips with family drama, the aftereffects of
cold-blooded murder, and notions of sexuality. By making the storyline
so accessible, Gebeshian enables readers to experience the characters'
unfolding sagas in such a vicarious fashion as to provide them with
real solutions for resolving the difficulties in their own lives.
Journey To Love
is a riveting read, and one that does much to eradicate the
discriminatory stain of preconceived notions and stereotypes, painting
their victims in a more humanistic light. A pleasure to both the mind
and heart.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Peter Gebeshian (Journey To Love)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Peter. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
What inspired you to pen this tale?
Peter Gebeshian: I was attempting to answer the questions, "What happens to people's spirits if they don't accept themselves for who they are? What are the ramifications of that choice?" So the entire novel is an answer to those questions.
AR: Is there a particular reason that you decided to make New Year's Eve, 1999, the jumping-off point for the plot?
PG: I found that date to be a great impetus for new things to come. That date begins the new millenium, and people have a tendency of making resolutions anyway, so I thought that point in time would set the context of what happens in the novel.
AR: Our reviewer noted that all the characters in the book are very genuine and authentic, making it easy for readers from all walks of life to relate to them. Was it difficult for you to construct them in such a realistic fashion?
PG: It's funny because everything in the novel came out quite naturally when I first wrote it. I didn't think to myself, "OK, how can I make genuine characters?" It just came out that way. I was very immersed in the story line when I wrote the first draft.
AR: In the book, you make special mention of the "light" that people notice in Zeus. Please expound more on that aspect of his character.
PG: Some people naturally have charisma. They attract people to them very easily. Light is always something that attracts things to it like moths. Therefore, I wanted that light to illuminate the character in the novel, so it can juxtapose any darkness he experiences.
AR: What is it about their individual and collective energy that draws Zeus and Azad to one another?
PG: Even though they exhibit opposite personalities, they also have some similarities. They are both quite smart, ambitious, and are going through similar emotions simultaneously. Moreover, they both possess secret thoughts, which draw both to each other.
AR: We noticed that, in addition to being an author, you're also an educator. Please share more with us about your experiences in that field.
PG: I've been an English teach for ten years now, so that has definitely helped me become aware of good literature. When I write, I bring all the lessons I've learned about teaching how to understand what great literature is comprised of. Having my students get literary concepts such as foreshadowing, irony, symbolism has helped me become a better writer.
AR: Journey To Love is actually your second book. Please share more with our readers about your debut novel, Affluence.
PG: That novel tackles some of the same themes in Journey to Love, discovering the richness that resides in all of us. The story deals with a family and the dysfunction and their abilities to learn from their mistakes and heal. The large supply of wealth sometimes doesn't come from the outside, but arises from a deeper richer place inside us.
AR: How has your publishing experience been thus far with iUniverse?
PG: It's been very good. I've been very fortunate to be able to finance my literary endeavors. I've learned a lot from the editors. I feel as if I went to college all over again to learn about the craft of writing narrative fiction. You have to be very open and receptive when editors give you criticism. It can only make your manuscript better.
AR: What can we next look forward to from you?
PG: The sequel to Journey to Love will be out in the coming months, maybe two or three months from now. I'm very excited about. It's completely different from the first installment. I want to reach many more people with this one.
AR: Do you have a website where people can learn more about you and your writings?
PG: I have a MySpace page, which is www.myspace.com/petertheauthor. I'm working on developing my own website site currently.
AR: Also, how can our readers contact you directly?
PG: When I do events, I hand out personal cards with an email address and telephone number, but I only give out that information when I meet people at events. Otherwise, people can send me messages on MySpace.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
PG: I feel like I have a lot more work to do to accomplish the body of work I want. I'm still an author on the come up, so I have plenty of publicizing to do now.
AR: Thanks again, Peter, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!