Dad: A Novel

by Steven Manchester

Overview

Three generations of dads, playing traditional roles in each other's lives, arrive simultaneously at significant crossroads. The decisions they make and the actions they take will directly - and eternally - affect each other.

After a life of hard work and raising children, Robert is enjoying his well-deserved retirement when he discovers that he has an illness he might not be able to beat. At 19, Jonah is sprinting across the threshold of adulthood when he learns, stunningly, that he's going to become a father. And Oliver - Robert's son and Jonah's dad - has entered middle age and is paying its demanding price. While reconciling the time and effort it has taken him to reach an unfulfilling career and an even less satisfying marriage, he realizes that it's imperative that he keep it all together for the two men who mean everything to him.

When different perspectives lead to misunderstandings that remain unspoken - sometimes for years - it takes great strength and even more love to travel beyond the resentment.

Dad: A Novel chronicles the sacred legacy of fatherhood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611883084
Publisher:	The Story Plant
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island, the national bestseller Ashes, and the novels Goodnight, Brian and The Changing Season. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning, and BET's Nightly News.

Read an Excerpt

Dad

Jonah’s young face suddenly popped into Oliver’s head like a frightened jack-in-the box. Oh shit, Ginny asked me to pick him up from school today. He checked his watch. Three minutes ago. Panic struck his heart. And his school’s ten minutes away. He took off at a sprint for his car, feeling for his cell phone on the way. Racing toward the school, he managed to place a call. No answer. With his heart rate now at a dangerous pace, his breathing turned quick and shallow. A bead of sweat formed across his forehead. This one’s on me, he realized, I screwed up big this time. He considered calling Ginny, who was a few miles closer. Nah. Although it was a brutal decision, in the end he decided that he couldn’t take her relentless ridicule or glares from her disappointed—even convicting—eyes. He stepped on the pedal, risking himself and everyone else in his path. He’d made an honest mistake that now felt like sheer abandonment.

Editorial Reviews

From a perspective too seldom explored, Steven Manchester offers a sensitive and sympathetic recounting of the significant challenges and rewards of fatherhood through the eyes of three men experiencing its different stages.

Donald Hubin

Steven Manchester writes with heart. Raw, probing and honest—keep the hankies close.

Tanya Anne Crosby

Steven Manchester is a master at understanding the psyches of ordinary American men, and a poet at writing about them. You will reach the end of this book smiling through your tears.

Judith Arnold

DAD: A NOVEL demonstrates the psychological power and importance of fatherhood and a father’s love. This is a welcome addition to the culture’s growing interest in and appreciation for fathers’ emotional engagement with their family.

Raymond A. Levy

"Few fathers know how important they are to their kids and Steven Manchester's, DAD: A NOVEL has the potential to show them. Mothers may appreciate it even more."--Greg Bishop, Founder, Daddy Boot Camp

"Heartfelt and uplifting, DAD is Steven Manchester at his best. An absorbing story of reconciliation, love, and the ripple effects of the past."--Carla Neggers, New York Times bestselling author of COLD RIVER

"Steven Manchester once again proves he doesn't just tell a good story so much as he paints a vivid, multi layered portrait. Enthralling from its frantic start, and written with all the confidence of a seasoned literary veteran, DAD is both a poignant and inspiring read."--Vincent Zandri, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE and THE REMAINS

"Steven Manchester's DAD is a poignant portrait of fatherhood and the triumphs and tragedies of being a husband, a father, and a son. A must read for men of all ages."--Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL

From the Publisher

Steven Manchester once again proves he doesn't just tell a good story so much as he paints a vivid, multi layered portrait. Enthralling from its frantic start, and written with all the confidence of a seasoned literary veteran, DAD is both a poignant and inspiring read.

Vincent Zandri

Steven Manchester’s DAD is a poignant portrait of fatherhood and the triumphs and tragedies of being a husband, a father, and a son. A must read for men of all ages.

Robert Dugoni

Few fathers know how important they are to their kids and Steven Manchester's, DAD: A NOVEL has the potential to show them. Mothers may appreciate it even more.

Greg Bishop

Heartfelt and uplifting, DAD is Steven Manchester at his best. An absorbing story of reconciliation, love, and the ripple effects of the past.

Carla Neggers