The Inland Sea: Fiction

By Steven Varni

Book Overview

The Inland Sea is a beautifully written, poignant novel told in a series of twelve intricately connected stories depicting twenty-five years in the life of Vincent Torno and the extremes of family and landscape that shape and haunt him.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060959347
• ISBN13: 9780060959340
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

In the footsteps of Saroyan?

In many ways this novel reminded me of William Saroyan's "My Name is Aram". Written more than half a century earlier and depicting a childhood earlier still, Saroyan's Aram is an Armenian immigrants' son growing up in rural Fresno, to Varni's Vincent, growing up only a few dozen miles away from Saroyan's Fresno, and son of an Italian-American mother who did not speak a word in English when first going to school in Santa Rosa, CA. But at some point the similarities end. As complex and shrewd analyst as Saroyan was, Varni is still a heir to a much richer psychological heritage, that let's him describe (or shall we say "process") Vincents's childhood and family in ways that would have been difficult to Saroyan. A good book and I will be curious to follow up Varni on his next books.

What a find!

This is a novel of exquisitely drawn vignettes composed from the haunted memories of a young man's coming of age in the seventies in California's ripe and rich (think walnut trees and orchards)San Joaquin Valley. Vincent's family ties and his heartbreaking memories- of his confusing and desperately ill mother and his harsh and demanding father are set amidst his struggles to survive the extremes of his close but volatile family.The prose left me mesmerized, and the description of the characters who inhabit 25 years of Vincent's life are unforgettable. How poignant that, true to the innocence of childhood, we are never given a name for Vincent's mother's disabling illness...though it would probably be manic depression...) Describing The Inland Sea as a "coming-of-age" novel doesn't do this book justice. Steven Varni's ear for language, his lyrical and honest story make for an arresting first novel. C'mon readers , give this un- media hyped book a try! These twelve linked stories may open up a dialogue about change, and the challenge of understanding one's past. What do we do with all our unique childhood memories, and how can we use them to help us march forward into one's adult life? A beautiful book.

great american discovery

The Inland Sea is a surprizing-sometimes dark,sometimes funny ,but ultimately extremely moving exploration of family ties that sheds light on an uncharted part of America--California' San Joaquin Valley. Like the very best of literature, The Inland Sea haunts you with both its familiarity and its strangeness.

Reflective Practitioner

My heartfelt congratulations to Steven Varni on both the "content and context" of this outstanding tome. The subject matter is inspired by the author's "real world and life changing" experiences and Varni's indepth portrayl of "la famiglia" encourages and affords the reader ample opportunity to reflect on the meaning of "the good society." Seldom does an author use prose for the purpose to nurture a habit of lifelong learning, which progressively equips individuals to lead fully responsible lives as family members, citizens of the workplace, and the world.Rooted in his Italian heritage, Varni's story describes an integration of ideas that goes beyond disciplines. The book's goal is, in the words of John Dewey, "to put people in possession of their powers." A mind liberated by wonder is free to think critically, to articulate an idea and defend a position, and to analyze and solve problems. The "Inland Sea" offers the reader such a chance and more importantly engages its audience to become an "empathic realist" as well as a "privileged witness."It is a MUST read for anyone who is a "first generation" born and educated American.