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The Creosote Bush
“If we ever reach the point where we think we thoroughly understand who we are and where we come from, we will have failed,” wrote Carl Sagan. But still we try. The search for meaning and understanding is a driving force that has spanned millennia. Although each path is unique, this journey—filled with wonder, curiosity, and the uncomfortable awareness of our individual limitations—unites us.
The Creosote Bush follows one such path as seen through the eyes of Ani, an idealistic young woman eager to embrace life even as she challenges long-held beliefs.
Ani has questions. About everything. From the nature of reality to the limits of understanding and organized religion to where she fits into it all.
Upon moving to Seattle to study photography, she pursues her questions into back-alley cafes and 24-hour diners where she and her new friends debate morality, free will, simulation theory, and the origins of identity. As her questions intensify, so does her passionate need to extend her boundaries.
Then she meets a wealthy, narcissistic computer programmer, and she finds in him a key to unlocking a side of life previously unfamiliar to her. Although liberating at first, their tempestuous relationship soon plunges her into a crucible of thought and belief. There she must confront an inner darkness she never knew existed. Only then does she begin to find the answers, and the light, for which she was so desperately searching.
The Creosote Bush follows one such path as seen through the eyes of Ani, an idealistic young woman eager to embrace life even as she challenges long-held beliefs.
Ani has questions. About everything. From the nature of reality to the limits of understanding and organized religion to where she fits into it all.
Upon moving to Seattle to study photography, she pursues her questions into back-alley cafes and 24-hour diners where she and her new friends debate morality, free will, simulation theory, and the origins of identity. As her questions intensify, so does her passionate need to extend her boundaries.
Then she meets a wealthy, narcissistic computer programmer, and she finds in him a key to unlocking a side of life previously unfamiliar to her. Although liberating at first, their tempestuous relationship soon plunges her into a crucible of thought and belief. There she must confront an inner darkness she never knew existed. Only then does she begin to find the answers, and the light, for which she was so desperately searching.
356 pages, Paperback
Published February 5, 2022
2037 people want to read
About the author
C.A. Legorreta
1 book23 followersC.A. Legorreta spent her nomadic childhood exploring the natural world and the many worlds found within books. Her three brothers taught her how to be tough and that praying for something (namely, a sister) doesn’t always mean you’ll get what you ask for. After taking ten years to earn a BA in History (during which time she travelled and tutored and found her way in and out of her head), she spent the next decade promoting books and access to information in the King County Library System in Washington State. She currently resides in southern USA, where she balances writing with the mysteries and mayhem of motherhood.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 23, 2025
Okay, yes, I'm a bit biased. But here's why I recommend my book: I want to start a conversation about what it means to be fully alive and self-aware in a world full of beauty and turmoil. I want to look at religion -where it succeeds and where it fails- and at what Camus calls the absurd. Where do we find meaning? That's what Ani, the narrator, seeks to find out. Influenced by science, religion, and skepticism, she is earnest and imperfect. She's a mix of curious and cautious, and her (sometimes obtuse) interactions with the people and situations around her show her uncomfortable truths about herself and the human condition. This is part love story, part coming-of-age, and part philosophical exploration. But mostly, it's a discussion about connection and the meaning of life. Please read it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
October 15, 2022
A tour de force tale of a young woman’s growth to young adulthood hits home the idea which decision determines the course of your life?
It makes you wonder doesn’t it - one different decision back then would have led to a whole other life experience! That’s what makes this book such a compelling read - the characters are real, and the intellectual and emotional conversations, confrontations, and situations are both fun and exciting but also frightening and life-threatening. The author details her inner world and the outer world showcasing any person's coming-of-age struggle confronting towering concepts rigidly framing one’s upbringing.
What is the difference between wrong and right? What’s unique is that this story hits home, and invites readers to share in the author’s perils of falling in and out of love. Or breaking up with someone and yet still loving another.
A tour de force tale of a young woman’s growth to young adulthood challenging and testing her faith culminating in an astonishing day of reckoning that puts her right where she’s been all along - following her path with all her heart!
It makes you wonder doesn’t it - one different decision back then would have led to a whole other life experience! That’s what makes this book such a compelling read - the characters are real, and the intellectual and emotional conversations, confrontations, and situations are both fun and exciting but also frightening and life-threatening. The author details her inner world and the outer world showcasing any person's coming-of-age struggle confronting towering concepts rigidly framing one’s upbringing.
What is the difference between wrong and right? What’s unique is that this story hits home, and invites readers to share in the author’s perils of falling in and out of love. Or breaking up with someone and yet still loving another.
A tour de force tale of a young woman’s growth to young adulthood challenging and testing her faith culminating in an astonishing day of reckoning that puts her right where she’s been all along - following her path with all her heart!
July 8, 2022
OMFG Fantastic! I'm buying copies for everyone I know.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews