For Vincent van Gogh enthusiasts, this weekend in Ketchum is a positive Pandora's Box of delights. Not only can you enjoy an internationally acclaimed performance of "Vincent" by Jim Jarrett, but you can also meet with the author of "The Clarity of Light," Gregory Foley.
"The Clarity of Light" evokes the life van Gogh through his writings. Nicole, the novel's protagonist, is an alluring French-American artist who, inspired by the writings of van Gogh, embarks on a dangerous quest to discover the true nature of love—and art—in southern Provence. Nicole eventually falls victim to self-destructive fantasies similar to those that plagued the deceased painter.
The narcissistic, somewhat unattractive beauty, Nicole is a brave embarkation for a male author who professes that he was not trying to, nor could he, know, what goes on in a woman's mind.
"She's a woman who was somewhat sympathetic but not absolutely. She exhibits characteristics that complicate relationships. I was intrigued with a character who has some perfection's but also some flaws," said Foley.
The novel, Foley's first, took seven years to come to fruition and includes excerpts from van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo.
Foley resides in Hailey, where he has lived for three years. An award-winning journalist Foley writes for the Idaho Mountain Express.
Local critics have rapturously received "The Clarity of Light":
"... this student of Hemingway, Fitzgerald and early Impressionism proves not only that vanilla can be edgy but that 'unmarketable' subjects and poetic prose are still highly entertaining—especially when it comes to human nature." Erin Ryan, Boise Weekly
"Thoughtful, rich and clean, Gregory Foley's debut novel is at its heart a book about the pursuit of art and the art of relationships." Dana DuGan, Idaho Mountain Express,
Foley will be signing copies of "The Clarity of Light" at Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum on Jan. 1 between 4 and 6 p.m. The signing is a perfect warm up for theatergoers heading to Jim Jarrett's "Vincent" at the nexStage.
"The Clarity of Light"
By Gregory Foley. Xlibris. $32.99 hardcover. $22.99 paperback. 311 pp.
