[A] haunting novel. . . . This book brims with the poetry of the working class, seldom sung lyrics of working men and women.--from the introduction by Larry Woiwode
"Shepherd is a master craftsman, and the subtlety of his art, the unassuming elegance of its architecture, rendered me spellbound and finally grateful. I don't think I shall ever forget this fine book, its honest, guileless voice leading me along into the fire."--Bob Shacochis
"A riveting exploration of what it is to be an outsider even in your own head. Shepherd has written a gripping story of childhood angst--psychologically thrilling, lyrically exact."--Janet Burroway
Levi Revel is a boy in danger of losing his family and maybe his mind. He's in awe of his father, Everest, a majestic dreamer, a master builder, a man with a violent, secret past. As the family moves from state to state, Levi hears solace in the voice of God, a voice that sends him preaching from treetops and roofs.
But the family begins to fall apart, and as Levi enters adolescence, he hears more troubling things: other voices, terrifying sounds, warnings. When Everest takes him on a high-speed, cross-country chase to win back Levi's mother--by force if necessary--Levi realizes how much danger they all are in.
Tender and frightening, this debut novel takes readers across America, through the eyes and ears of a child whose family is haunted by a past they can't outrun. From a boy lost in a world of imaginary voices and chilling destruction to a young man who can rebuild steeples, the story Levi tells is the triumph of persistence over moments of isolation and despair.
Paul Shepherd lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
About the Author: Shepherd earned a PhD from Florida State, where he is currently a Writer in Residence. He has also written a poetry book . His community service activities include serving as director of a nonprofit construction company that rehabs older homes for low-income homeowners, working as a Youth Director at a Lutheran Church, and helping found the House of Mercy, an AIDS hospice.
