Runaway Griever

Charlie Davis, a top-notch auto mechanic in Ladner, Missouri thought life was good until he heard a knock on his door early one foggy morning. Looking into the eyes of the two policemen, he knew something dreadful had happened. The officers shared the news no parent ever wants to hear...his son Danny had been involved in a horrible accident at Devil's Elbow. Rushing to the scene of the accident, Charlie's worst fears are confirmed as he looks into the face of his deceased son, Danny. An intense effort is launched to discover the cause of the accident but none is found. There are no skid marks on the road and nothing wrong with the truck. The cause of his death remains a mystery. Charlie and his wife Nora are thrust into a world of shock and sadness as they try to reconcile themselves to their worst nightmare. Charlie's father, Rev. John Davis, better known as JD, is a prominent pastor at an ultra-conservative church in Ladner. His pastoral approach to grief is simply, "Just pray and get over it." JD preaches the sermon at his grandson's funeral, thinking he can fast-forward his family through their grief and evangelize the large number of teen-agers who will be in attendance at the funeral. His plans are derailed when the unthinkable happens in the middle of the funeral. After the funeral, Charlie and his wife experience intense pain as they see reminders of their dead son everywhere they turn. Thinking they can escape these unbearable memories, they decide to leave Ladner and travel to North Carolina where they can serve as volunteers. Through a series of life-changing experiences, Charlie is forced to face the grief he has tried so hard to escape. His encouraging story comes to a surprising and heart-warming conclusion on a snowy Christmas Eve in Ladner. Note: Book club questions included.