Foreword ReviewsReviewed by Patty Comeau June 9, 2016

Five Stars

Garvin avoids easy resolutions, caricatures, and shocking twists in the service of a strong story populated by believable characters.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.The titular character is not only assured of the existence of a distant, disinterested God, but in his actions he embodies faith: while navigating the peculiar hazards and pleasures small-town living presents to a closeted young gay man, loyalty to his mother remains a constant, central, and motivating theme throughout the text.In Garvin’s Durango, Colorado, Baptist families share the richness of their beliefs, making community and finding joy in their mutual prosperity. Here, and throughout the book, there are no heroes, saints, nor villains to be found—in the tale’s matter-of-fact tone there is a stolid and sincere assertion that each person has a history and complexity.“The twisted boughs of the massive, gnarly pecan sprawled against a charcoal sky in defiance of another brutal winter,” Garvin writes, crafting a metaphor to accompany his character at the bedside of a dying loved one. The evolution of Zach’s observant, stoic, and deeply sensitive personality unfolds alongside the shifting economic conditions drawing prosperity increasingly to America’s cities. By the use of these motifs, Garvin reveals Zach’s faith as the old-fashioned, patient sort, persevering through dark times and cherishing life’s pleasures with surrender to the certainty of both. It is also the kind of faith placed in a person by their family and community, entrusting them with responsibility and assuring the resiliency to live up to shared hopes and expectations.Fitting easily on a shelf next to books by Jim Grimsley or Annie Proulx, A Faithful Son reveals Zach’s sensuality in an understated, private way: “The ruggedly handsome cowboys primped more for a night out than the Sisters of the First Assembly of God working their glorious bouffants before a Sunday service,” he observes, finding his footing in the gay mecca of West Hollywood.Garvin avoids easy resolutions, caricatures, and shocking twists in the service of a strong story populated by believable characters. A Faithful Son is a highly recommended, enjoyable read for lovers of quality literature that needs no flash or hype to leave an impression.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Highly Recommend

Garvin depicts the splendor and squalor of both the natural and human worlds in this debut literary novel.Zachariah Aaron Nance at first appears to be set up for a simple life. Born and raised in Durango, Colorado, he begins life knowing the feeling of dirt under his fingernails, sweat on his brow, and God in his heart. His childhood is split between the natural world and the town and his family. Zach’s father is a salt-of-the-earth type, taking odd jobs across local farms to support the family financially, while Zach’s mother’s strong ties to the Baptist church and the community support them spiritually. Zach’s trials and tribulations also at first seem like the expected hazards of being a growing boy—trouble with school, an eye for mischief, and a hint of the angst that comes of being a middle child. But while there’s youthful joy in small-town living, there’s also poison under its skin in the forms of poverty, alcoholism, racism, and homophobia. When tragedy strikes the family, his father withdraws into drinking, his mother into religion, and Zach loses his fragile grip on the world as he struggles with this fractured clan, the fortitude and responsibility it requires, and his own identity. The writing in this novel is excellent, a mix of clear, no-nonsense storytelling to move the narrative forward and vibrant, nigh-poetic language to describe the play of sunlight, water, dust, greenery, and human beings that make up Zach’s universe (“Colorado mornings on the brink of spring begin with a deep purple reflection rising low on the horizon. The lavender glow spreads out and up as dawn slowly consumes the fading night....The season’s bitter freeze begins its gradual thaw, and the forest floor and frozen tundra welcome the new warmth”). At the same time, the story bravely and honestly delves into the existential questions and trials of faith that Zach undergoes, from a childhood fever dream where he’s visited by Jesus to his more conscious realizations of the unfairness of the world and what God’s role in such a place could be. Finally, straightforward, genuine dialogue gives voice and individuality to the vivid cast of characters. Zach’s joy, pain, longing, and isolation are real and palpable throughout, and every piece of the story and setting only furthers the life and experience bled onto the page.A striking tale of coming-of-age, loss, sexuality, and self-discovery, filled with rich characters.

Five Stars

Reflecting on his past, the aging Zach Nance recalls the catalyst—the people and events—that have helped shape his life. Certainly, growing up in Durango, Colorado, produces both the best and the worst of times. Being the only son, Zach always plays a prominent protective role over his two sisters. Yet Zach is unaware that the responsibility will eventually extend to his mother after a tragic accident turns his tight-knit family into one that is dismally dysfunctional. Familial issues persist after Zach moves to Los Angeles. And, though it appears that he has moved on with his life, the question that remains is whether Zach can face his immense emotional and mental demons, especially when he finds his true love.

Michael Scott Garvin’s debut is nothing less than stunning. Mimicking a memoir and following in the flavor of Harper Lee’s inimitable novels—To Kill a Mockingbird and its sequel Go Set a Watchman—Garvin, like Harper, has created a colorful cast amid chaotic and enlightening eras. Set within a near 30-year time period, beginning in the 1950s, Garvin’s narrative is replete with idyllic Colorado scenes that provide the backdrop for the Nance siblings’ childhood playground and scenes reflecting the changing times. A balanced mix of ethos, pathos, logos, and Garrison Keillor-like humor, Garvin’s plot seamlessly flows between the past and the present, keeping to themes of inequality, racism, and sexual orientation.

Garvin’s colorful cast not only functions as foils to enhance the development of Zach, Garvin’s principal character, but also provides plenty of hilarious episodes to help break up heavily dramatic sections. While Zach and his sisters, Laura and Kate, have their own comedic moments, nothing quite compares to Toby Zane’s mischievous church act and Nettie Bledsoe’s attempts to swim, for examples. Others who play distinctive roles, in one form or other, include The Custers (“the only negro family in those parts”), the overbearing and overprotective Sisters of The First Assembly of God, the intimidating Bud Ellison, the effeminate Skipper Jackson, the foul-mouthed Lucy Cline, the troublemaker A.J. McCord—just to name a few. Even Jesus Christ makes an unexpected appearance.

A Faithful Son is bound to be a new all-time favorite and classic.