Overview
As a small independent press with limited resources, we aren’t able to manage more than one major project at a time. Right now, the principal focus of Phenomenology Press is to produce a pentalogy of philosophical novels, released by three authors, penned by one. The Parting States Pentalogy begins with Andrew Fookes’ In Body, In Mind, followed by Sam Kane’s In Living Memory, followed by Andrew Fookes’ In Absentia Lucis, followed by Catherine Dean’s In Medio Dierum, followed by In The Name of Hope (provisional title) by Andrew Fookes.
The pentalogy is not a series, although there is some connectivity between the five books. They share some characters, some recurrent motifs, some locations, and timelines overlap for four of the five books, but the primary characteristic that connects them is theme.
Each work is constructed around a thematic idea that examines some aspect of contemporary life. And each of these thematic ideas is then explored through the lives of the characters, touching upon a variety of relevant sub-themes through the narratives.
The Parting States Pentalogy
In Body, In Mind [IBIM] is the first book. It is the story of Sam and Rachel Kane as they navigate personal loss, retirement, declining health and increasing dependence. The book examines their story within the context of their family, friends, and the complexity of contemporary Australian society. IBIM was released in late 2019.
In Living Memory [ILM] is the second book. It is a story written by Sam Kane (from IBIM), following Cate and Mark Strong after a car accident leaves Cate with amnesia. Despite Mark’s deteriorating health, they try to recapture Cate’s memory by uncovering significant events from her history, discovering that neither of them had known much at all about one another. As Cate’s complicated past emerges, they must reevaluate the nature of their relationship. ILM was released in early 2025.
In Absentia Lucis (In the Absence of Light) [IAL] will be the third book. It explores the precursor events and aftermath of Yamini Benoit’s disappearance. Her teenage son Yal and her three brothers lead a search for her which takes them to one of the most remote places on earth. The story traces how each of the four men is affected by her loss, and how all of them are affected by what they find. IAL is planned for release in mid-2028.
In Medio Dierum (In the Middle of Days) [IMD] will be the fourth book. IMD is a story written by Catherine Dean (from ILM) as a fictionalised biographical instrument to record the extraordinary adult life and philosophical thought of Gabriella Barton. The narrative is a pastiche of personal diaries, Gabriella’s Master’s thesis on Nietzsche, excerpts from Cate’s unfinished novel, imagined conversations, letters, lists and other found literary objects such as poems and song lyrics.
In The Shadow of Hope (provisional title) [ISOH] will be the fifth and final book. It will be a story which performs two functions. The first is to tell a story which completes the thematic direction of the other four books, resolving to an ending that sums up the whole pentalogy. The second function is to close out some unanswered questions about several characters, the arcs for whom never seemed complete. This resolves the tension arising from not knowing what happened to them after the other books finished.
Pentalogy Titles
