Fiction, Literary fiction, Novella

An August 2025 Amazon bestseller, this novella marks the return to book-form publication for Melissa Morelli Lacroix, author of the highly regarded poetry collection, A Most Beautiful Deception (UAP, 2014). A modern Old Man and the Sea/C (COVID-19), Adventures of Ivan follows ninety-seven-year-old Ivan Burtney during the lonely days of the 2020 pandemic. Amid solitude and uncertainty, Ivan continues to find joy and purpose by connecting with family, friends, and community—whether masked, by phone, or through a pane of glass. Through moments of memory, window-side encounters with nature, and unexpected inspiration from television and music, Ivan illuminates the bittersweet beauty and enduring hope that can be found in life’s final chapter.