Charlie Lyle loves science, natural history and the world of the mind, and these are his refuge as he copes with his drug addicted mother and a world of circumstances beyond his he grasp. Baffled by how he has ended up in residential treatment, he turns to the works of Charles Darwin to understand his predicament, his fellow residents - and to find a way out. Against all odds, he falls in love and it is this cataclysmic relationship that propels him on a cross-country journey and a collision course with his own history. More a work of philosophy than psychology, Dyed Souls explores a dystopian world where narcissism subsumes wisdom, and Orwellian doublethink supplants reason.
“Dyed Souls, or Catcher in the Cuckoo’s Nest...measured, intelligent and quite gripping. It’s the plot that will make this book stand out, and it’s a very good one. For the teen it has a galling coming-of-age, redemption quest. For the adult it has that, as well as a literary look at a singular fictional life. 4.5 Stars.”
John Lloyd, TheBookBag.com
“Gary Santorella is a writer of substance, an important fresh novelist who deserves wide attention... This novel is of the highest quality, one that pleads to be read by young adults who face similar barricades, but also one that will impress readers of fine literature. Simply put, it’s brilliant!”
Grady Harp, San Francisco Review of Books
“Heart wrenching (and warming) with a timeless feel, Dyed Souls is an absolute must read for fans of literary drama and coming of age novels.”
Indie Book Reviewers
“Dyed Souls is the heartbreaking story of a 13-year-old boy as he is forced to face a harsh world that doesn’t seem to understand him...it is a dark tale of survival and growing up much too quickly. It is an emotional, unraveling, and thought-provoking story that everyone will enjoy reading. 5 Stars.”
Rabia Tanveer, Readers’ Favorite
2018 Named one of the The Bookbag’s Top Ten Indie Books of the Year
2018 Chill with a Book Reader’s Choice Award Winner
2018 Silver Award Winner, Global Ebook Awards
2020 Finalist, International Book Awards
