Portrait of a Rainbow as a Young Man
(aka Doberman’s Angel)
During a snow flurry the week before Christmas, a young girl gives a blanket to a homeless man living on the streets, a simple gift that ends up saving both of their lives.
A shy young boy is struck by lightning after witnessing a rainbow on Christmas morning and survives but is scarred physically and transformed spiritually.
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Portrait of a Rainbow as a Young Man is a tale of two stories intertwined, chronicling lives of chaos and serendipity, adversity and creativity, misfortune and fortitude. The novel’s title is a symbolic metaphor for a literary portrait of a transformation – an inspiration – a mercurial vision of hope.
Tagline: End of the Rainbow Meets Lightning in a Bottle
The idea for Portrait of a Rainbow was inspired by three sources: Voltaire’s Candide, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and the fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper. The book Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, which explores the mystery behind the process of creativity, is a good example of how this story came to be. Quoting from one of the protagonists in Portrait of a Rainbow: “I only know the moment was magical. The same way notes of music, arranged in a special sequence, can come to you, as if magically. It’s the mystery of all creation. It arrives unexpectedly. Fleetingly.”
The story is iconic, concise, and memorable. It is a literary fable in novella form, intentionally short. A page-turner which can be read in one sitting. It is an antidepressant, uplifting tale, perfect for these best of times and worst of times we live in.
“Not all gifts are wrapped in a box. Some gifts are just being present. Being there when it matters.”