Fathers and Sons

Fathers and Sons, a look at family dynamics and interfaith yearning, turns disappointment and sorrow into an understated triumph of the human spirit.

A runner and skier examine their purpose, family, and relationships in these coming-of-age stories set in Michigan's north woods. In "The Long Run," Merrit Reef, wanting his father's approval above all, looks to medal in a half-marathon and finds, through the rigors and sacrifice of competing, something wholly unexpected at the finish of the race. In "Snow Country," Mark Silver, a reporter and Jew who befriends a migrant farmworker and her young son, experiences a crisis in faith as he attempts to overcome his fear of giving them a Christmas tree. For readers who love seasonal change, the Great Lakes, woodsy trails, and wandering souls committed to the outdoors as a means of salvation, Fathers and Sons delivers.