“The Closer's Song”

By: Christopher Cole

Review: 08/28/2001

Buckingham author addresses old questions

By: LORRAINE SCIUTO-BALLASY

Baby boomers encompassed by all the trappings of success, might just learn something from their journey, if they take a moment to contemplate life's meaning as learned through the passage of time. For the rest of us, too jaded or cynical to make any connection, Buckingham author Christopher Cole's first novel "The Closer's Song" does it for us. The book, set in Sleepy Hollow, Woodstock and Greenwich Village during the turbulent Sixties, poses all the relevant questions of youth and attempts to provide answers, despite the harshness of reality and the challenges of overcoming cynicism.

It's the story of two loners, special friends whose lives have taken them in different directions, leaving them both unfulfilled. Their journey, and the ties that bind them together give each a "unique perspective on the world." This premise for the book renders it largely autobiographical, since Cole's own life serves as the backdrop for the story, entwining issues such as the pain and suffering inherent in abused and learning disabled children, the cost of hedonistic behaviors, the immoral choices made by young adults as they enter the world of "drugs, sex and rock 'n roll" - and how it all relates to the pursuit of and eventual attainment of spirituality. That's a lot of heavy stuff for 371 pages.

Cole, an alias, said he "constantly told stories" and always knew he wanted to write a book growing up as a kid in the "magical" town of East Irvington, N.Y., a "little hamlet" nearby to the legendary Sleepy Hollow, but dyslexia prevented him from learning to read and write. He struggled to overcome his learning disability, finally mastering reading and writing by the sixth grade. "But once the floodgates opened, I became a voracious reader," he said. The book is the direct result of a promise he made to his grandmother, over 40 years ago, to somehow learn to read and write. He knew then he wanted to make his mark on the world - even at the ripe old age of 12. At 10, he had already become preoccupied with his religion.

"The teachers told me I was dumb. My grandmother gave me the courage to overcome my disability. So, it was important for me to do something for her," he said.
He did. Upon her death, when Cole was still in high school, he wrote about his grandmother in the school newspaper.
"That," he added, "was when everything started to come together."
The book is dedicated to his wife of 31 years, Marie. His unexpected path to Woodstock in 1969, his eventual decision to leave the seminary, his relationships with Marie, their two sons (now 30 and 25), and his closest friend, a man who died four years ago (a main character in the book), are all touched upon and painstakingly unfolded throughout the pages of the novel.
"I think a lot of us became disillusioned back then just after Woodstock, Alta Mont and Kent State. We all went on with our lives and buried our ideals. We ultimately matured (how horrible!) But there is a reawakening, a resurgence beginning to sweep the country, I feel. A lot of us are beginning to look back at those times and question the paths we have taken. That's part of the reason I wrote my book. We are trying to recapture the magic we left behind," said Cole, a college graduate with a secondary education and English degree selling luxury automobiles for the last 30 years.

Cole believes not enough has been written about the Sixties, a time we hunger to remember, but try desperately to forget; a time that appeals to youth, thirsting to hear more about a young culture's struggle to fight the establishment, the road to their betrayal, and the truth about their search for freedom.
According to the author, the book took about four years to write and can be read on several levels. On one level, it's simply a glimpse into the upheaval and the counterculture of the time. Other levels address a variety of issues relative to the human condition and the "triumph of the human spirit."
"Since childhood I always pondered the meaning of life. In school I daydreamed a lot and wrote question marks in the borders of my schoolbooks. At one point I entered the seminary and sought the answers through organized religion only to become disillusioned. The book is (about) a journey as I came full circle and arrived at, perhaps, an unorthodox, yet workable, solution," explained Cole.
"I believe everyone carries a book around. It's cathartic to create, to leave a little something behind. You can never really get away from your own biography."
In the case of "The Closer's Song," Cole's life is indeed an open book; hence, the reason for the alias, and perhaps one of the reasons behind his decision to self-publish.
"I sent out manuscripts and got back the typical rejection letters because they don't read it, they just throw it in a pile," he said, adding how he finally opted to just put the novel away in his desk. "I'd wait a while. I'd dust it off, read a few chapters, get misty, and put it back in."
When a friend recommended self-publishing, Cole investigated the process and proceeded to publish his book "on a shoestring" budget.
"It takes a lot of work and effort. You do your own editing - they only format and bind," he said, noting overall it was a good experience.
"It's about time we liberate the publishing industry, put it back in the hands of the people. I don't care if they publish everything. The cream will rise to the top," he said, now an advocate of self-publishing.
"I sent out manuscripts and got back the typical rejection letters because they don't read it, they just throw it in a pile," he said, adding how he finally opted to just put the novel away in his desk. "I'd wait a while. I'd dust it off, read a few chapters, get misty, and put it back in."
When a friend recommended self-publishing, Cole investigated the process and proceeded to publish his book "on a shoestring" budget.
"It takes a lot of work and effort. You do your own editing - they only format and bind," he said, noting overall it was a good experience.
"It's about time we liberate the publishing industry, put it back in the hands of the people. I don't care if they publish everything. The cream will rise to the top," he said, now an advocate of self-publishing.
Six months and several revisions later, the book was finished and ready for promotion. Today it is published on demand and available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and to area bookstores on consignment.
Cole said he has employed some guerilla marketing techniques to get the book noticed.
"It's mainly a word of mouth thing. You have to be out there promoting. It's a book for a niche market," he said.
Circulation has taken the book to Canada where a fan took the time to send Cole an e-mail telling him how reading the book changed her life.
Cole said if the book affected even one person in that manner, then it was worth writing it.
"I wonder what it would have been like if I became ordained. How many people would I have helped? I have enjoyed the fruits of my labors to some extent all my adult life...although I never became a slave to money. But I did become a slave to the retail business. A workaholic, I put in 12-hour days for 30 years. I took few vacations, and smelled too few flowers. Yet, I now ask myself, as others do, for what? That is why I wrote 'The Closer's Song'."