A Faithful Son is a dazzling debut and genre-defying novel. This captivating coming of age tale chronicles the life of Zach Nance, a young man struggling to find his place in an ever-shifting world and the zany cast of local characters who help him come to an understanding of himself and the secret he harbors. The small town of Durango, Colorado provides the rural backdrop for Garvin’s masterful novel. A hunky traveling carnie, an eccentric gaggle of pious church spinsters, a flirty drag queen and Jesus Christ, himself, all make appearances within the pages of this endearing novel. After tragedy befalls the Nance's, Zach’s close-knit family unravels. He vows to protect his beloved mother and sister from the fallout of his troubled father’s choices — forcing young Zach to redefine his loyalties, his faith and his own destiny. A beautiful and heartrending tale in the grand tradition of To Kill A Mockingbird and The Help. A Faithful Son captures life’s bittersweet journey through lost innocence, sacrifice, and self-discovery, treating readers to a compassionate story of enduring hope.
"Throughout the novel, Garvin injects humor and pathos....and is most evident in his descriptions of a group of devout Christian church ladies. We follow Zach's own struggles to acknowledge, and later to accept, that as much as he wants to be one of the guys, he isn't. Garvin's novel is compelling and readers will find themselves moved by Zach’s efforts to accept his true self and will heartily cheer him on to his ultimate triumph."
***** 5 Star Rating
"A Faithful Son is a visceral experience, realistic and vibrant, wrought with the same craftsmanship as a painting resembling a photograph, or a window into another time and place. Michael Scott Garvin has populated his pages with vivid scenes filled with all the colors and sensations of nature, grounding narrator Zach’s story in the inevitable passage of time in a way that is particularly rural, attuned to the slow, even pace of life’s wear upon the body and the soul."
**San Francisco Book Review** A Faithful Son 5 Stars "...Garvin's debut is nothing less than stunning... in the flavor of Harper Lee's inimitable novels--To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman--Garvin, like Harper, has created a colorful cast amid chaotic and enlightening eras.,,Garvin's plot seamlessly flows between the past and the present, keeping to themes of inequality, racism, and sexual orientation..." San Francisco Book Review
A Faithful Son by Michael Scott Garvin has been entered into The Table of Honor and was a finalist in the New York Book Festival 2016.
