Resolution

Resolution, Barry Arbiloff's sixth novel, is an unforgettable story about a family on a collision course with destiny. It is a story about existence and essence, and, in the tradition of Harold Robbins, worlds in turmoil, carnal heroes and heroines, and unintended consequences. SOPHIE is shot in the face on a street corner in Brooklyn. Her mother is killed; her brothers narrowly escape serious injury. She is left with a scar, amnesia, and a habit. The children go into foster care. Sophie grows up in a big house in a small town. Life is good. She enrolls in medical school, but leaves before graduation when her adoptive mother is diagnosed with a particularly virulent form of cancer. In the time that follows, she goes to Africa to work in a cholera treatment facility in the Ténéré Desert. She adopts a beautiful child and eventually returns to the United States. She goes back to medical school, graduates, and, at the behest of the World Health Organization, returns to Africa. ALESSANDRO goes into an institution where he is repeatedly beaten and raped. He becomes a convert to ISIS. He learns Sharia law and the ways of jihad. In time, he becomes disillusioned and returns to the United States through the gauntlet in Turkey and France. He settles in Upstate New York where he becomes involved in dealing and trafficking in narcotics. MATHEW comes out of foster care in a good home with a loving family. He graduates with honors from West Point. With the rise of ISIS, he goes to Iraq as a commissioned officer and is awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. He sustains multiple injuries, including loss of memory. When his tour of duty ends, he is seconded to the United Nations to assist in the formation of a rapid response force to protect UN assets in the field. He meets and interacts romantically with Sophie, without knowing that she is his sister. The family eventually reunites, and the consequences are ... dramatic and unintended.