A flood in Cumberland Tennessee, an Evangelical preacher, husband, father to a nine year old and the arrival of two homosexual males looking for succor, all merge in a moment in which for Asher things will never be the same. A crisis of faith, a hard look at ones beliefs, one actions and an act of desperation will cause Asher to do the unthinkable. Trying to make up for his actions in the past, while holding tightly to the only thing he now has of value will send this earnest, loving man to the Florida Keys.

Sometimes if we are lucky we find the right story at the right time, or maybe it finds us. This is an author that has been on my to readlist for quite a while, so given the opportunity I requested and received this advance copy of a book that doesn't come out until June. Religion, and the churches reception of homosexuals has been an ongoing debate. Silas House tackles it here using a very flawed,but loving preacher who cannot longer hold steadfast to the beliefs he has learned and in fact preached all his life. His son Justin, at nine is what I would call an old soul, a boy raised with love but now caught it an unenviable situation. In the Keys they will find acceptance from two women, with their own past ghosts with which to contend, but both are marvelous characters indeed. It is in the Keys that Asher will find what he seeks and the strength to do what is right. The descriptions of the Keys, and I too love it there, are just beautifully described. It is a place where many go to find acceptance.

At time the message may be a bit heavy, sentimentally written but the message is a beautiful one. The characters, full of love and hurt, struggle with many of the things we struggle with, the decisions we make daily that may help or hurt. House has written a novel that may make one question his own opinions, choices and just maybe showed us that it is okay to be human, to struggle, and that things may still work out. Beautiful story.

ARC from Netgalley.

I read about one-third of this book. I did not like the direction it was heading. While I agree we must love the sinner, I see a very big difference in civil marriage and Christian marriage. While it is not my place to tell someone he's going to hell because of his lifestyle, I must remain true to what the Word of God teaches. Passages in the both the New and Old Testament show God abhors unnatural this sin. While I applaud this pastor's inclination to help the gay men during the flood, I believe the pastor is compromising when he even considers marrying the men. Christians need to stand firm on what the Bible teaches, even when the world distorts it. I simply could not continue to read this book. I requested it because of other books by the author. I know others who will read it because of Silas House's renown in the world of Southern/Appalachian literature. Although I appreciate the author's abilities as a writer, I cannot endorse the message of the book.