Introduction

Betrayal of Love and Freedom is a psychological thriller. An experience of awareness, it is a story told through a variety of characters who are challenged with different twists and turns caused by various mind conditions. A true story based on one man's struggle and triumph over Bipolar Disorder. Spanning over five decades set against a backdrop of four continents, Betrayal of Love and Freedom is at its heart a compelling love story with a happy ending.
Two powerful men one at the mercy of Bipolar Disorder, the other facing life imprisonment struggle to regain their freedom. An ambitious novel that makes no apology in its searing examination of the value of freedom, and the experience of its loss, Betrayal of Love and Freedom takes the reader on a journey through the intertwining lives of Luke Powers and Rick Dellich. As well as painting a vivid picture of a man at the peak of his success facing life imprisonment, the story gives voice to the experience of a psychological breakdown in contemporary society. Blending both truth and fiction, and traversing the genres of drama, thriller, romance and crime, Betrayal of Love and Freedom is a potentially life-changing testament to the human spirit for our time. The life of Luke Powers has long been punctuated by abrupt changes in fortune, but nothing could prepare him for the possibility of life imprisonment. Facing charges of murdering the forbidden, great love of his life from thirty years earlier, the influential media mogul is powerless to escape his predicament. Is he a murderer? Even he cannot say for sure. Entrepreneur and family man, Rick Dellich, finds himself stripped of all his rights as a citizen, the result of a mental breakdown. Separated from those he loves, he faces the prospect of confinement to a chemical straightjacket for the rest of his life. Desperate for a true recovery, he commits himself to a psychiatric clinic. Through it all, two women, each offering the possibility of the love that seems to have betrayed him all his life, weave their way into Luke s destiny. So, too, does Wong Peng, a ruthless business magnate wielding the dark forces of power and tied to the enigmatic Society. All the while, Rick struggles to put his shattered life back together, but his deepening search for answers leads him to revelations that threaten to turn his world upside down. Will each man succeed in his quest for love and freedom? Will each man find what he is seeking? Both will face challenges that will destroy or transform them, eventually placing the two on a collision course with one another. Set against a backdrop of four continents, this is a story of power, love, and ultimate freedom.

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Excerpt

No Longer Feeling Human
How can I ever call myself normal again? The doctors tell me, if I continue with the medication, I may be able to call myself normal again, some day. But I’m only a shadow of my former self. Who am I now? Am I the real Rick, or has he vanished forever? Either way, the people back home will never see me in the same way – I’m branded for life. Almost an outcast in some respects – a potential part of the human experience that people would much prefer not to acknowledge exists. It’s too scary. Taboo. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

Discussion Questions

1. How do the opening scenes in part 1 and 2 of the novel set the stage for Luke and Rick's stories? How do the settings relate, and how are the tones distinctly different?

2. How do you think the author has related his own real-life experience to both of the main characters in the novel?

3. What is the significance of Luke and Hughie’s friendship? How do Luke's relationships build the storyline and reveal his inner conflicts?

4. What is the transition from Luke's feelings of rejection to Luke's hunger for power? Was the change a real transition of his personality or do the two actually go hand-in-hand?

5. Luke fights a constant battle of self identification—how he is perceived and how he perceives himself. How do his feelings of emptiness and loneliness hinder his abilities within the story? How do they reveal his personality to the reader?

6. Which signs of internal imprisonment are revealed throughout Luke's childhood? How does it build the story to Luke's actual impending imprisonment?

7. Why do you think the author breaks up Luke's story by introducing Rick as a new character in part 2? How does the author relate the two characters to build a cohesive story? Do the two appear to be immediately intertwined?

8. Both Rick and Luke are continuously controlled by fear. What role has fear played in creating their characters? Though they are ultimately fighting for their freedom, how might they be fearful of finally achieving what they want?

9. What role does self-acceptance play in the novel, and how does it bring the story to an end?

10. What difficult truths and moral issues shape Luke and Rick's identities?

11. What role does destiny play in the novel? Do you think the author displayed situations of chance or fate?

12. How did the challenges faced by each character affect them, both positively and negatively?

13. Have you had any experiences with friends or family who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder or some other mind condition? How did it affect your life and theirs?

14. What type of personality does it take to succeed when so many factors are fighting against you?

15. How important is love when you are struggling against outside forces and / or yourself?

Weblinks

»	Official web site for Betrayal of Love and Freedom
»	Paul Huljich's web site
»	MWELLA Site (Mind, Wellnes, Awareness)
»	MWELLA Foundation

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