Norma
Norma, a new work of fiction by writer Mark Zwolinski, asks you to enjoy a roller coaster like story about a kind, elderly woman, who saves a town from corruption and violence by surviving those very things herself. But the book also asks you to consider how you read fiction. Norma, as a work of fiction, intends to take its audience through a heroic tale where a 56 year old woman's life changes after she discovers a phone that belonged to a young murder victim, who bravely took a video of her assailants during a fatal altercation. There is all manner of life therein: love, sadness, emotion, endurance, the things we see when we look in the mirror, the challenges facing the elderly, poetry, youth, and above all, kindness. At the same time, there are two dissertations on the unseen balances between truth and lies. They are meant to create an over-riding ideology, which presents a constant reminder about the always undefinable space in which the characters live in, and the spaces we find ourselves in. It is an intellectual exercise in reading that will appeal to any lover of fiction. It is different. it is challenging, yet it is rewarding. All along, the truth about truth and lies, and the spaces we live in, are not truly defined until the book arrives at its final words. There is a strength there, and it is waiting for you. Finding it will rake all of your emotions. But there is a triumph in that. It is a tale for all ages. It's waiting there in this easy to read, page turner that mirrors the experience of spending time in an art museum with your favorite paintings.