[Time 01] • Time's Hostage · The dangers of love, loss, and lus

Time’s Hostage is a multifaceted thriller that delves into important social issues while exploring the dark realm of self-destruction and mental instability.

With the art world and South Beach as a backdrop, challenges faced by the LGBT community permeate the book. First, turmoil results for both Sophia, the protagonist, and her husband after his homosexual encounter with a friend’s son and his ensuing difficulties sorting out his unclear sexual preferences. Then—their daughter comes out as a lesbian. The woman she marries subsequently becomes pregnant by a man, forcing the couple to deal with a double-edged sword—the infidelity and its heterosexual nature.

Extramarital dalliances are a recurring theme in Time’s Hostage as Sophia finds herself cheating in revenge for her husband’s faithlessness. However, her risky affair is as much about indulging a repressed urge for self-destructive behavior as it is about avenging her husband’s betrayal.

As a psychotherapist, Sophia recognizes her lover’s unstable mental state, but her own growing addiction to him leads to a dangerous denial of the potential consequences. As her increasingly symptomatic epilepsy leads to vivid Holocaust hallucinations, she begins to explore her own mental health and questions her convictions—both the ingrained and the taboo.