The fires were 53 years apart and in different locations in California. The source of the latter blaze is debatable, but the one that occurred in 1971 in Palm Springs was deliberately caused with destructive intent. The commonality between these two seemingly unrelated events are the Harlan and Stiegl families.

Klaus von Stiegl (nee Aaronsohn) is a German immigrant whose ambition and family connections get him a job in the movie industry. Success in New York leads to opportunities in Hollywood, where he is soon working at MGM for the tyrannical but influential Louis B. Mayer. Klaus sees himself as an auteur and abhors the control of the studios, so he decides to make a movie on his own, free of any interference. However, a freak accident at his home leads to a scandal that damages his career along with many of his co-workers. Despite the loss of work, Klaus is financially sound as his wife, Olive, hails from an affluent family. The exile from Hollywood irks Klaus, and he comforts himself with copious amounts of liquor while distancing himself from Olive and their son, Percy.

"THE CALIFORNIANS is a superb work from the creative mind of Brian Castleberry.... Castleberry thrives at crafting fascinating characters with narratives worth following from start to finish."

Diane Stiegl is an only child of divorced parents and the sole grandchild of the renowned director Klaus von Stiegl. Her adolescence was marred by her mother’s mental breakdown and her father’s restless nature. When her father, Percy, begins dating Tessa Harlan, she is not enthused. However, Tessa proves to be a surrogate mother in her life, and Diane becomes friends with Tessa’s son, Track. Diane is a talented artist, and Tessa encourages her to pursue her gift. She possesses her grandfather’s independent spirit and hones her craft primarily outside the classroom. By the mid- to late 1980s, Diane is an established name in the art world but risks self-destruction from drug addiction.

Tobey Harlan was pressed for time as he grabbed what he could from his apartment and fled the approaching firestorm. The town of Tinsley is soon to be engulfed in smoke and flames, so Tobey drives south with his ex-girlfriend’s cat and a stranded gentleman he picked up. Tobey considers his options for temporary shelter. A reunion with his father and stepmother in Palm Springs, while unappealing, is more realistic. Life never seems to go as planned, and Tobey wanted to live in Oregon with his girlfriend and a group of like-minded individuals in a collective. While relating his current plight to his stepbrother, James, an idea is suggested for Tobey to improve his situation, a larcenous scheme to nab valuable paintings from Tobey’s father and sell them to James’s boss, a big-tech mogul. The artist’s name is Di Stiegl.

THE CALIFORNIANS is a superb work from the creative mind of Brian Castleberry. The diverging paths of the Stiegl and Harlan families are chronicled over a century, and while the main characters may not share much if any physical space in the story, the work of Klaus and Diane resonate with the aimless Tobey. Family and the dysfunction that often runs deep within them are adeptly explored, whether it be Klaus and his fractured relationship with Percy, Diane’s frustrations with her mother, Antonia, or Tobey’s disengagement from his father. Klaus, Diane and Tobey represent three generations of risk-takers who look to defy others’ expectations, and they often do so, whether it proves to be to their benefit or to their detriment.

Castleberry thrives at crafting fascinating characters with narratives worth following from start to finish.