The Old Creek Bridge

When Jack Snyder was forced at age ten to deal with the tragic and explosive death of his moonshine-making grandaddy, he didn't. Instead, he became a self-made pariah, keeping only his monstrous temper for company.

Now plagued by shame and a desperate desire to escape his small town, Jack lashes out at everyone. Everyone, that is, but his high school English teacher, his mama, and the adorable Kelly Green. Through a combination of academic success and the support of these three women, Jack pushes aside his emotional volatility and—much to Kelly's chagrin—finds a way to escape: college.

That is, until his daddy gets sick. Jack is forced to surrender his dreams of escape and rely on the most unlikely of helpers, the only other person in town with a reputation as bad as his: his grandaddy's common-law wife. With the town now truly rejecting him, he's left with one choice: confront his hatred of home and the self-loathing that led to it, or spend the rest of his sorry life alone.