The Way Things Fall (2020)
A story about love, atonement and a tragic twist of fate
When Rachel, a successful art critic, attends an exhibition by an up-and-coming artist she is unsettled by the eerie familiarity of his paintings. They bring to mind a tragic event from the past and a cowardly decision she made. As her relationship with the artist develops, she searches for a way to come to terms with this and is drawn back to a man she loved and worked with many years ago in Cairo. This man had warned her that, one day, fate may find a way to punish her.
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As the story unfolds in three different countries over fifteen years, the tension and conflict between Rachel’s relationship with two different men and two different worlds accelerates. Eventually, she must pay a steep price to fully atone for what she did.​​​
As Karl talked, the cadence of his voice changed and the clipped edges softened. Rachel took notes but eventually she just listened, letting her tea grow cold as he took her through the scenery and language of the cosmic planes in a long-forgotten world. There was a stillness about him she was drawn to, a sense of being in an elevated state of mind where everything around him was in its right place, contributing to his own particular harmony, but assuming a greater significance simply because he was close by.
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(Paperback and ebook available at Amazon - Kobo at Indigo)
The Way Things Fall is intriguing, the characters interesting and well-drawn. It is a very impressive, very readable debut novel.
Peter Greene
I really enjoyed and learnt a great deal about Egyptian mythology and the importance of astrology as I did about what critics look for in art. I thought the characters were very real and well developed.
Malcolm Cullen
A real tour de force. I enjoyed the novel from beginning to end. Both men are beautifully drawn and one can see why the protagonist is torn. But I could never make love with Karl. I hate getting sand in my undies.
Sophie O’Reilly
Review in the March 2020 edition of the Ottawa Review of Books
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The novel has elements of the known and unknown, blending into a believable and exciting work of fiction.
Shane Joseph
Publisher's Perspective
I love fiction that transports you to new worlds and The Way Things Fall does this in spades. Astronomy, Egyptian mythology and ancient astrological interpretations of the night sky mix brilliantly with art, Jungian psychology and love & lust. This is a really smart book and beautifully written with help from Egypt’s stunning desert landscapes, the brilliant astrological night sky and panoramic, rolling vineyards of Tuscany. A wonderful pandemic escape to another world!
Debbie Gordon
Just finished this terrific novel by author Liz Torlée. It has everything; love, lust, sex, romance, intrigue, art, guilt, far-away travel to exotic places and encounters with fascinating characters. But, most of all, it’s about fate and The Way Things Fall. Great read for these long, cold, snowy nights
Arlene Cohen
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For more reviews, go to ...
Liz answers questions about
The Way Things Fall at the book's virtual launch:
Liz reads from The Way Things Fall
at the book's virtual launch:
Interview on ThatChannel.com's
Liquid Lunch Program:
I am not into Cosmology or ancient Egyptian archeology but I really liked the way the author wove the detail into the novel and having been to Egypt I felt transported back by her great descriptions. The characters were real and likeable and the ending is unexpected. A great read.
Roger Dacre
Tension and conflict? Big time! John Bell
I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the rich description. Once I was in, I didn’t want it to end. I got to enjoy knowing the characters and wanted their story and my learning about a very foreign world of the stars, energy, and the powers of fate and destiny to continue.
Rhoda Payne
