One line description: An aspiring writer is unable to finish the original literary masterpiece he set out to write but finds love at the start of the coronavirus outbreak.Synopsis: The Divine Madness follows the life of its philosophical/romantic author, Oleg Svet, as he traverses the uncertain terrain of 2020 in search of love and truth. Over the course of late February and March of that year, Oleg attempts to complete the literary masterpiece he has always dreamt of writing. He takes a week off work to complete it, and travel to New York to be closer with his girlfriend, whom he nicknames Ace, and to finally finish his book.Oleg and Ace met each other in January 2020 on an online dating app. For years Oleg has lived and worked in Washington, D.C., while Ace has done the same in New York. Although they come from different cultural and racial backgrounds (Ace came to the United States from India, while Oleg came from Israel), both are first-generation Americans and share some similar values, personality traits, and experiences. Despite the distance and some differences (Oleg is more of a philosopher/dreamer, while Ace is more grounded and realistic), in February 2020 both decide to enter into a committed relationship.As the novel progresses, Oleg struggles to complete his literary masterpiece and find the answer to deep philosophical questions that have bothered him for years, such as, what is the nature of true knowledge? He also starts to feel ever more fortunate for the simple fact that he got to meet and enter into a committed relationship with Ace, with whom he gradually falls in love with over the course of the novel. In light of the impact that Ace has on him, as the novel progresses Oleg begins to realize that, perhaps, just perhaps, words like "knowledge," "reality," "truth," and "facts" are intimately related to the concept of "love."The challenge of simultaneously maintaining a long-distance relationship, continuing to work full-time, and writing a novel on the side is compounded by the sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Will Oleg be able to finish his literary masterpiece? Will he finally find the answer to the question, what is knowledge? Will Oleg and Ace be able to maintain their long-distance relationship? Or will the weight of the world prove too much?The Divine Madness is a novel of modern love and philosophy. It is a longer read than the average book you'll see on the shelf of an airport bookstore, but it is also infinitely more rewarding.Author's Note: Although The Divine Madness is technically the second book in a trilogy, it can be read, understood, enjoyed, and loved entirely on its own. However, if you want to fall in love with The Divine Madness even more, read the first book in the trilogy, Skywalker, also by Oleg Svet. Skywalker spoiler alert: although Oleg is *not* a main character in Skywalker, he does appear in it-as a circus commentator...
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