Shikoku | David Tepfer

A retired professor-poet and a young doctor-jazz singer cycle Shikoku in the Seto Inland Sea. Their wanderings unite them emotionally and physically, and help them to overcome past tragedies and to discover new lives in themselves and each other. They are aided by bicycles, cherry blossoms, wild coastlines, hot spring bathing and Japanese cuisine. They discuss love, life, art and religion. The usual conflict between good and evil is subdued, and while the love story is the motive force, it is not the only intrigue. Shikoku is a "novelogue," not only because their adventures take place through cycling, but also because the characters undertake a voyage to a better life.