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About the book
“The Vigil” is about a man (Ralph Unda) who is the lighthouse keeper on Little Brewster Island in Massachusetts. His young daughter (Georgia) suffers from schizophrenia that takes over her mind after she dreams of a seagull flying into the lighthouse during an overnight storm. By coincidence, she finds a dead seagull on the rocks the next morning.
Her delusional beliefs convince her that the dream caused the seagull’s death. Until her death by suicide at the age of twenty-three, her father tries desperately to find a cure for her schizophrenia. Losing touch with reality, he keeps a “vigil” over the sea, hoping to somehow rescue her.
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Ralph Unda has never been the same since the disappearance of his only daughter. Disturbed for some time by the death of a seagull, the young woman takes her father’s boat out one evening to photograph the sunset. Later, the Coast Guard returns with the vessel, but no Georgia.
As the lighthouse keeper for Boston Light, Unda is in a prime location to keep watch. He’s a common sight on Little Brewster Island—a solitary figure gazing through binoculars, waiting for her to return from the dark, turbulent water. The puzzle of Georgia’s disappearance comes to light through multiple perspectives: Unda, a man overcome with guilt and despair, the Greek chorus of townspeople who witnessed her stormy life and her father’s devotion, Georgia’s haunting pleas traveling over the horizon, and the songs and ancient stories that keep Unda tethered to the living. A stunning meditation on innocence, attachment, and grief, THE VIGIL tells a timeless tale of mental struggle and acceptance. Written in beautiful, captivating prose, this story swirls with the mysteries and depths of the sea, and with aching resonance for anyone who has ever loved absolutely, beyond the limits of time and space.
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About the Author
Peter J. Dellolio has published three poetry collections. His writing – which includes poetry, fiction, one-act plays, and film criticism – has appeared widely in magazines and journals. He’s a contributing editor for NYArts Magazine; he’s written art and film reviews and several monographs on new artists. He’s the Co-Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Artscape2000, a prestigious, award-winning, art e-zine. He taught poetry and art for LEAP and is an artist himself. His paintings and 3D works offer abstract images of famous people in all walks of life who have died tragically at a young age. He graduated from New York University and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Literary Fiction
ISBN: 979-8990803060
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