Passing Through - Hardcover

by Worldie H. Bowman (Author)

Passing Through begins with an unassuming ride on a train across the American West Coast. A writer named Mx. Toniac is stumped with what their novel should be about. After reluctantly allowing a man named Mr. Xo to accompany them, the writer realizes that this encounter is the story they wish to tell. Detailed with description and metaphor, Toniac attempts to paint the perfect picture of Mr. Xo.

Mr. Xo, on the other hand, is less fond of a one-sided relationship between pages. He wishes to contribute to the story himself. As readers continue on, they realize they are reading the very book that both Toniac and Xo are writing.

This meta-narrative, while deceptively simplistic at first, pulls the readers deeper into a story that accurately depicts the turmoil that every artist goes through; the tug between fiction and reality. Tackling feelings of longing, identity, and self-expression, this novella attempts to challenge the thoughts on each of these feelings, making the readers ponder if what is chosen to be immortalized in literature is entirely ethical.