Christina and the Whitefish
It’s 1994. Christina, a young Gulf War veteran wrecked by war and tragedy, seeks redemption in Asbury Park, the seaside mecca of her childhood. It’s a place well past its prime… and now reigned over by the self-proclaimed King of Asbury Park: The Whitefish—a disabled Vietnam-era vet, tavern owner, and all around oddball philosopher. It’s here, on the Jersey shore, that a chance meeting leads to a profound and life-altering connection.
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Description
Description
It’s 1994. Christina, a young Gulf War veteran struggling with PTSD and the loss of both parents, drives cross-country in a borrowed car, desperately seeking relief and redemption in Asbury Park, the seaside mecca of her childhood. It’s a place well past its prime and reigned over by the self-proclaimed King of Asbury Park: The Whitefish—a disabled Vietnam vet, tavern owner, artist, and philosopher. It’s here, on the Jersey shore, that a chance meeting leads to a profound and life-altering connection.
Rewind to the eighties: two girls, best friends, falling in love was something to be kept secret. Reaching adulthood, Christina and Jaime move to Las Vegas to escape prejudice and build a new life. Unable to cope with her parents’ deaths and convinced she’s doing the right thing for herself and her country, Christina enlists in the U.S. Army, only to find herself racked by a further and compounding wartime trauma.
“Christina and the Whitefish” is a powerful novel that questions the conventional treatment and care methods veterans receive in an inadequate, pharmaceutical-driven system, bringing to light just how critical human connection is to wellbeing and survival. “Christina and the Whitefish” asks tough questions about how to love and when to leave, questions that reveal a critical truth: family can be birthed from circumstance. And then, even in the pain and the stumbling, if you don’t give up—keep seeking and moving toward something better—friends and healing will find you—and love, no matter how battered, can endure even the darkest of times.
David Schuchman –
Debut work of fiction by award-winning filmmaker and author, Stephen Vittoria.
“Christina and the Whitefish” is a joy to read. If Bruce Springsteen wrote fiction,
it would read a great deal like this.
— Dave Zirin, The Nation Magazine, Author of “The Kaepernick Effect”
A gifted filmmaker brings his storytelling prowess to the pages of this book…
what a dramatic and beautiful journey.
— Sonali Kolhatkar, Award-winning Journalist, Author, Broadcaster
The characters of this stunning novel will stay with you…
a high-spirited and humorous voyage… it will give you chills.
— David Swanson, Author & Journalist, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
I love this book. It’s hard to let go of the characters… Masterfully delivered with twists and U-turns… The reader needs to buckle up and hold on tight to arrive at the place called redemption. This is an intriguingly subversive work.
— Paul Rabinowitz, Author & Founder of ARTS By The People
Brutally honest and unexpectedly tender, with characters you root for… This isn’t one of those books you bail on – you need to know how it ends. (Never thought I’d say this, but now I need to visit the Jersey shore!)
— Katy Farzanrad, Executive Producer, “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”
“This novel ignites the mind’s movie making machine. Vittoria’s attention to detail and character is delicate and intimate. It’s a rollicking journey that is at once dark and beautiful, harsh and loving. When I finished and closed the book, it was like walking out of a dark theatre into the light of day, feeling like I was wearing the story, a suit of armor.”
— Kathy Kremins, poet & author of The Curve of Things
Legendary filmmaker, Albert Maysles, publicly petitioning his colleagues
in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to consider Vittoria’s documentary feature, Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary, for Oscar consideration:
I’ve sat through many documentaries in my life and this is one of the finest.
I was riveted by the film and storytelling. It was as if Mumia was in the room speaking
directly to us. Vittoria’s “Long Distance Revolutionary” is a gripping film.
It’s 1994. Christina, a young Gulf War veteran wrecked by war and tragedy,
seeks redemption in Asbury Park, the seaside mecca of her childhood.
It’s a place well past its prime… and now reigned over by the self-proclaimed
King of Asbury Park: The Whitefish—a disabled Vietnam-era vet,
tavern owner, and all around oddball philosopher.
It’s here, on the Jersey shore,
that a chance meeting leads to a profound and life-altering connection.
This is a book for the moment—a heart wrenching tale about overcoming your demons and finding your people. Vittoria doesn’t flinch in the face of painful subject matter.