Author publishes second novel

Margo Frink 04/07/09

The Canastota Public Library will host a case-cracking party for the release of the novel “Living In The Wakes” by W.L. Swarts. Swarts will appear at the library for the public presentation, reading and autographing of the case of first-edition copies of the novel. The case-cracking party is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday April 15 in the library’s Lawson Community Room.

The novel follows a group of sixteen characters who attempt to defy social expectations by expressing how they feel for one another while they are all still alive. To do this, every six months they throw a wake for a different member of the group. The novel spans the course of eight years as relationships grow and fall apart and characters change, collide and love in unexpected ways.
Of the novel, Swarts says,

“It was a simple premise, contained within the novel: the tragedy of modern life is that the only time friends honestly speak about one another is at a wake, when they are dead,” Swarts said. "Living In The Wakes explores a group of people who speak honestly to one another as opposed to about one another and therein lies the magic of the book.”

The book is the second novel by Canastota resident W.L. Swarts. His first novel, Within These Walls was published in 2001.

The Canastota Public Library is located at 102 W. Center St.

CATEGORY: Books
TAGS: W.L.Swarts,Canastota Public Library,Living in The Wakes
EDITION: Canastota Bee-Journal