The Allure of an Ending

<p><strong>Finalist in the 2025 Storytrade Book Awards for Science Fiction</strong></p><p></p><p>This is a story about the role of our mortality in our lives.</p><p>In 2042 a biochemical breakthrough extends longevity to that of early biblical characters. How will the world adjust to the changes brought about by near immortality?</p><p>The changes are bewildering. What will dating be like? Is it frowned upon for a 600-year-old man to date a 400-year-old woman? Can marriages last for hundreds of years? Can careers?</p><p>​The human and sci-fi stories are interwoven. In 1945 Harbir emigrates from the Punjab to New York City where he establishes a modest bakery empire. Three generations of his family grow prosper and find stability in the home they call The Ranch. Meanwhile J-P Durand a French biochemist obsessed with biblical ages tracks down a plant that extends human life.</p><p>In the miracle year 2042 the world struggles to adjust to new technology values and especially the traditions of family. Among those affected are Harbir's son Yusuf Yusuf's gay son Viqar and Barbara Viqar's wife-erstwhile artist and free spirit.</p><p>In 2059 Harbir is gone but at age 71 Yusuf not part of the future or the past with hundreds of years of life remaining meets Dorothea and must confront the relationship of happiness lifespan and family.</p>