Visions of Anna

This is part of the Afterlife Trilogy, which also includes "She Plays in Darkness" by Fern Chertkow, and a play running in April - May in 2015 called "Anna in the Afterlife."

“Visions of Anna” by Richard Engling is the story of Matthew Harkin who discovers he has terminal cancer. Ill-prepared to meet his death, he makes a pilgrimage to the scene of the suicide of his dearest friend, Anna. He has the irrational hope that by investigating her death, he may be able to see into the world of the dead.

The novel moves through time, showing us scenes from Matthew and Anna’s lives. We see them as young writers together in Paris. We see Matthew’s heady experiences in Hollywood as his success as a screenwriter grows. We come to understand Anna’s driven, fascinating, twisted soul through her journals, her magical practices and her love affairs.

With the aid of a Native American shaman and an ex-lover, Matthew reclaims his life and puts to rest the ghost of his friend. In a long and intense ritual, they free her soul from the pain that bound her to the earth.

“Visions of Anna” is a sometimes funny, sometimes disturbing work of contemporary American magic realism. It’s a story of sex, psychology, art, Hollywood, the Holocaust, reincarnation and love.