From the Author
This novel is by far my most literary. I did try to tread the fine line of telling a story that stands on its own without the frills, while still strutting with some literary prowess for those who notice, appreciate, and find additional meaning in layers of metaphor, simile, and symbolism. Sara is my only novel so far with near precise alternation of points of view--Geoffrey, Phrekka, Geoffrey, Phrekka, and so on. A commonly asked question about all my novels is, Where did you get the ideas for that story? In truth, ideas are cheap and easy and overly abundant. Maybe what's more interesting, at least to me, is why did certain ones persist until they earned so much attention as to lead to a novel? With Sara, that arc is more obvious to me than with most. I read an article about a surviving sister collecting the lost art of a teen girl who sketched children near transcendently until a tragic accident took the lives of this wonderful artist and their little brother. I kept finding myself playing "What if?" and changing that true story into one entirely different, and that kept bringing me back to two themes that had long intrigued me but not yet found the right story that brings them into the light: whether or not adults can ever fully recapture the innocence of childhood they cherished before tragedy and trauma shaped their subsequent lives; and how it is that art can be so meaningful to some people in so many ways, yet not at all to others. Maybe Sara answers those mysteries, maybe not, but sometimes just deconstructing the questions is the best we can do.
* * * * * Five-Star Reviews
* * * * * By TJS
I'm quickly discovering that Geez creates characters so real I feel like I've always known them. What Sara Saw pulled me in right away with the awkward but palpable chemistry between Geoffrey and Phrekka. As they dug deeper into deciphering the mystery of the Sara sketches, it turned out that they needed to figure out a lot more about themselves and the world than I was expecting. It had some very important things to say about how we express ourselves to each other, from artistry to love and trust. I found myself rooting for these two people who could not be more different from each other, wanting them to love each other like they both deserved. One friend who admires literary writing raved about it, and discussed with me all the metaphor and symbolism and layered use of introspection, yet a young woman I know who cares nothing of all that is almost finished with it and loving every word. The scenes are full of meaning, but also beautiful and real. I loved the ending. It felt good to finally understand what Sara could see.
This is the only novel I've read where the characters were so real it felt like I became one of them. Geoffery and Phrekka help each other in their quest to learn the truth about themselves, but ther are so many twists and surprises that it took me a while to notice how much this is about needing to understand the world. I like how scenes from their past show how they've become the way they are. This book is breathtakingly romantic, and it changed how I will look at art from now on.
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