Greg M. Sarwa

The Valley of Silent People Greg M. Sarwa

Based on the legend of Saint Sara, who with Mary Magdalene arrived at the shores of the French Riviera after Christ crucifixion, "The Valley of Silent People" is an allegory about gaining faith and trust that even the most unexpected and radical discovery has no power to overcome. Though unrecognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, Saint Sara remains one in the hearts of people, especially Roms, who designate her as their patron. Controversy still swirls over whether Sara was Mary Magdalene's and Jesus Christ?s daughter or simply a servant, fascinating millions of readers around the world. Joe Clatt?s content and uncomplicated life is shattered one evening, when an atrocious accident claims the life of his wife and leaves his only child in a deathly coma. Joe discovers a letter his wife wrote not long before her death, suggesting she anticipated such destiny. Her last wish is for Joe to visit an inconspicuous place located on the other side of the ocean. Against his better judgment, Joe arrives in a distant village on the French Cote d?Azur. The night, after the festival honoring Saint Sara, he meets one person he was certain he would never see again. Guided by his heart he finds himself embraced as a participant in a remarkable journey, no longer a mere spectator. While Joe struggles to uncover reasons why his wife's final wish led him to France, he experiences phenomenal events?occurrences, he believes, grant confidence that his daughter will survive. Are these revelations the answers Joe seeks, or is something else veiled in the mists of time? "The Valley of Silent People" is a fable in the tradition of magic realism of Paulo Coelho?s "The Alchemist" (Harper One, 1993). It alludes to the controversial subject of Mary Magdalene from the perspective of an ordinary man, who while experiencing most obscure moments of his life finds himself in the middle of exceptional circumstances. "The Valley of Silent People" evokes an enchanted sense of reverie and poignancy, similarly to "The Mermaid Chair: A Novel" by Sue Monk Kid (Viking, 2005). And while veiling the tale in a magical mist, it lets the reader arrive with its own answer to the question of what is real, and what only appears to be. Featuring the actual village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and the annual festival of Saint Sara, "The Valley of Silent People" is a one-man journey through the exquisite phenomenon we call life.