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Issued by MindStir Media on September 28, 2026. Source: EIN Presswire.
KAMUELA, HI. Alan Gartenhaus, an author of short stories and literary fiction, has released his second novel, “Into the Crater,” an exploration of fractured relationships and personal redemption set inside Haleakala’s volcanic crater on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The novel follows two former friends and romantic rivals who reconnect for a high-stakes camping trip through Haleakala’s unforgiving terrain. Each arrives with a reason for the reunion: one to atone for his past actions, the other with an enormous and, perhaps, presumptuous request. Deception and unanswered questions force the pair to confront the emotional rifts that have shaped their lives.
The harsh beauty of the volcano mirrors the characters’ inner turmoil. Bridging themes of youthful exuberance, maturity and mortality, identity, reconciliation, and courage, the novel moves between tragedy and the possibility of healing.
Gartenhaus has worked as a New Orleans Museum of Art curator, a Smithsonian Institution education specialist and a director at Cornish College of the Arts. His first novel, “Balsamic Moon,” portrayed historic New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Now living in Hawaii, he draws on his own hikes through the region.
“Into the Crater” (ISBN 9798950391040 / 9798950391033) is available through major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in hardcover ($29.99), paperback ($18.99) and ebook.
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