It Is Well

Jonathan Beecher, a middle-aged widower and small-town store owner, has never asked for much. But lately, all too much is being asked of him. The bombing of Pearl Harbor plunges America into World War II and deeply fractures Jonathan’s own family. His eldest son, a civilian contractor, is trapped on a Japanese-occupied island in the Pacific. Jonathan’s feckless younger son ignores his father’s pleas to stay home and joins the army. And his bright, devoted daughter, who Jonathan hoped would go to college, elopes with a brutally abusive man instead.

Jonathan has always met adversity with quiet faith, but as his emotional and financial losses accumulate, so do his doubts. In the midst of his pain, Sarah, a widow herself, emerges as a kind, compelling friend. Powerfully drawn to Sarah, Jonathan struggles to remain true to his late wife.

James D. Shipman’s tender, wise novel examines the paradox of human suffering: how irrevocable loss, if we are willing to let it, begets spiritual gain.

James D. Shipman, an Amazon bestselling author, was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He began publishing short stories and poems while earning a degree in history from the University of Washington and a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law. He opened his own law firm in 2004 and remains a practicing attorney. Constantinopolis, his first published novel, depicts the epic fifteenth-century battle between the Turkish and Roman empires for the fabled city of Constantinople. Going Home, his second novel, is based on a true Civil War story. An avid reader, especially of historical nonfiction, Shipman also enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.