The Physics of Relationships

A Novel

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Guernica Editions
Chas Halpern
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A highly readable, intimate story about loss, aging, female friendship, family, and renewal…told with grit and humor.

Lexi is a sixty-year-old widow whose solitary life is thrown into turmoil when a desperate young woman moves in with her, soon followed by the unexpected arrival of her best friend, who has separated from her husband of forty years. The mix of these three very different personalities – a powerful omnivore seeking to live life to the fullest; a sweet, self-denying vegan; and Lexi, a thoughtful, still grieving widow – leads to some surprising (sometimes humorous) situations that force Lexi to re-examine her life. In the physics of relationships, Lexi observes that nature abhors a vacuum. She begins to wonder if she herself has somehow manipulated her circumstances to fill that vacuum…simply to imitate the life she had before the death of her husband. 

[The Physics of Relationships] was a joy to read. I loved the flow of the writing, the profundity of the observations, and the humor. You have truly sketched a very accurate, forgiving, and endearing picture of a woman at this stage of life. Thank you for writing this book.” -Kaiya Cade Smith Blackburn

“You did an amazing job writing so truly in the voice of an older woman…. I found Lexi’s character appealing from the first page, and her consistent voice made her a very sympathetic, fully realized character. I particularly enjoyed her reflections on all she observed about human nature and the realities and absurdities of aging. She is kind, funny, curious, thoughtful, eager to puzzle out relationships. …. I enjoyed the twists and turns and tensions of the plot, three women living together, and the extra complication of Tasha [her daughter], and romantic partners, and the suspense of whether a myriad of small/large issues will get resolved.”  
- Rosalyn Art

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Contributor Bio

Chas has made a living writing and directing marketing videos for global tech companies (including Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, and Intel). He’s known as a storyteller, with a specialty in humor. His previous novel, Humans Anonymous, Chas is also a screenwriter. Awards include top honors at the international Script-to-Screen Festival. He wrote a PBS documentary, which was shown throughout the U.S. and internationally. And he has written for a Disney Channel series. His screenplay, “Positive” (a dramatic comedy) has been optioned and is still in development.

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