The First Sandcastle: A Novel - Tapa dura

A mesmerizing novel you always seek yet seldom find. Marlo Clemente is confronted with continuous turmoil at home. His father's boisterous views of women haunt him, as he is told that all women are evil-wanting only the material and causing all men "the worst of pains." This has dire consequences for young Marlo as he matures and struggles with loving his mother and yet facing his father's twisted representation of a world full of vixen dominance. Marlo looks to his extraordinary artistic talent and two best friends for solace from everyday home life. But one of his friends (Danny) becomes romantically involved with a young girl who ends up crushing Danny's heart. This only reinforces what his father has long since warned. Confusion sets in further when Marlo meets Desiree Castillo, a girl unlike others. For she too sees the same magic in Marlo's "sandcastle dreams" and even tells a story of the first sandcastle which (legend has it) was built long ago, near the Yucatan Peninsula. Marlo struggles to keep his dream of art school alive while still trying to find the long-lost relationship that has evaded him and his mother. He too comes to terms with his deep attraction towards Desiree only to eventually meet her "twin" cousin, Divina. A two-sided world Marlo encounters, only to wonder whether his tideless dreams will ever come to pass.