Circus of the Sun

CIRCUS OF THE SUN : Beguiled by a luminescent artist and her entourage, a volatile young musician spirals through 1979 San Francisco’s cultural, sexual and political maelstrom.

A great, lyrical portrait of an era…a spot-on recreation about a great time of history…and I enjoyed the sheer trip of it. Beautifully observed writing-the emotions in the story are true and moments of life are rendered with clarity. -Louis B. Jones, author of four New York Times Notable Books, including Ordinary Money and Particles and Luck.

In the wake of his girlfriend leaving him, 23-year-old musician Jack has sworn off women, yet the reforming bad boy cannot resist liberated artist Bretta, and her creative entourage. Jack and Bretta believe they have found their masterpiece of love-until the return of her Paganini-esque lover reveals troubling secrets of the seemingly perfect Bretta. Jack finds that the harder he tries to forget his and Bretta’s pasts, the more he is haunted, alluring him to the razor’s edge of obsession and creativity. This lyrically erotic novel pulses with the musical beat of the raw passion of youth as it weaves backstory vignettes of Jack’s troubled family and his circus life. The fast-paced historical fiction pinballs from Kerouac-infused North Beach bars to drug- fueled Haight streets, punk moshes to all-night raves, from Sierra saloons to movie star mansions of Malibu.

…King’s novel is engagingly honest and sets forth a story-within-a- memoir so skillfully that you forget this is a work of fiction. …Captures the ups and downs of an intense relationship deftly. …Reminds me of Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans with its poetry-leaning prose and rich dialogue. -Rick Dale, The Daily Beat

Edgy and romantic, comedic and existential, this book grips emotions with intensity.