Thirty-five-year-old Richie Lopez is at the end of his rope. His marriage is over, he’s barred from seeing his son, he is unfulfilled at a dead-end-job, and he is drinking to excess. But all of that is about to change when he meets Conrad Richards, a mysterious man that seems to have all the answers to the world’s most difficult questions—and a ghostly way of disappearing and appearing in other places at will. Although Richie suspects something very unusual, he admires his new friend so much that he keeps his thoughts to himself. Still, he cannot help but wonder if Conrad is just a brilliant old man or if he is an angel, how he seems to know him inside and out, and why he has chosen him to fulfill his lifelong dream of writing a book about life’s purpose. As Conrad mentors Richie, he shares his personal reflections and secrets to success. But will he live long enough for Richie to learn all there is, and will Richie ever discover whether Conrad is human or something more spiritual? In this heartwarming story, an older man appears in a troubled young man’s life to share his wisdom and ask him to fulfill his long-held dream of writing a book.

Fifty-five-year-old Anthony DiSarlo is a recent retiree still deep in mourning over the tragic loss of his wife of thirty years. Even worse, he has lost the will to live and sees no purpose in his life. Shortly after he wins his multimillion-dollar medical malpractice lawsuit against those responsible for his wife’s death, Anthony’s sister and her husband invite him to join them on their annual visit to Florence, Italy. As he reluctantly accepts and heads home to pack and prepare, Anthony has no idea that all hell is about to break loose and that someone wants him dead. After a series of clues lead the police to arrest the suspect, Anthony goes on the trip of a lifetime across majestic Italy to find the purpose he so desperately seeks. But when his path crosses with that of a true Italian goddess, Anthony is left wondering if he can fall in love again and whether the best is really yet to be. The Quest for Purpose is an international tale of sorrow, love, and passion as a widower journeys to Italy to find his purpose after his wife dies from a tragic accident.

This book examines the representations of homosexuality and homoeroticism in Conrad’s fiction. Drawing on the work of Geoffrey Galt Harpham, Robert Hodges, Wayne Koestenbaum, Christopher Lane, and others who have already begun unearthing and analyzing this subject, the author traces Conrad’s representations of homosexuality and homoeroticism, beginning with the Malay works and ending with The Shadow Line.