Father Ghost

FATHER GHOST weaves the tapestry of a prominent southern family's alcoholic son Erroll Mason, husband of Ruth, father of Skipper and Andrew. Part One of the novel chronicles how a father's addiction shapes the lives of his family. In an era when mothers don't work outside the home, his wife is forced to search for a livelihood she can no longer count on her husband to provide. Like many children of alcoholics, Skipper and Andrew, thirteen months apart in age, excel in academics, sports, and good behavior in hopes of winning their father's love. Both popular among their peers, they avoid close friendships that might bring unexpected visitors to a house filled with secret shame. The brothers, allies in an unnamed war, believe they are the only kids in town whose father is a drunk. Eager to leave the small town of Brenner after high school, each chooses a college far from home. Free of the confines of an unhappy childhood, they begin to discover who they are. Part Two examines the adult lives of Skipper and Andrew Mason and the baggage they're unaware of carrying—denial, buried emotions, depression, and a predisposition for alcoholism. The novel is a story of triumph and tragedy, of strength and weakness, and truth and lies, but in spite of the human frailties exposed on its pages, it is an over-arching story of redemptive love, forgiveness, and grace.