The Way Brilliant Souls Cry

Book excerpt: The protagonist in The Way Brilliant Souls Cry is a great performer and artist who wants only to love-and to be loved in return. But his relationship with the mentally wrecked, bipolar Katrina threatens to destroy him. Following one of his shows, the artist is approached by Katrina's father, Richard. The man makes a plea for the artist to visit Katrina in the hospital-claiming that he is the only one who can bring her out of her depression. The artist has always loved her with all his being and agrees to visit her. Shortly after, the two troubled souls become engaged and embark on a month long holiday in Europe. Upon their return, he throws himself wholeheartedly into preparing another show. But shortly after the show opens, the couple's relationship starts to unravel. Katrina and the artist break up and reconcile many times until their final ending is tragically realized. This is a story about the human need for love as told from the perspective of the artist's friend Luna. The Way Brilliant Souls Cry is the depiction of madness-turned-genius and back again; it examines the gifts that our lives give to other people and illustrates how pain isn't always easy to recognize.