Legacy Road
Kregel Publications
Kregel, Inc.
P.O Box 2607
Grand Rapids, MI 49501
©2012 Graham Garrison
216 pages, paperback
ISBN 978-0-8254-2671-1
Written by Graham Garrison, author of Hero’s Tribute, this is a “don’t put it down until you’re done” type of book. This is a story about family, relationships, mistakes, forgiveness and releasing yourself from the past.
The main character of this story is a freelance writer/journalist named Wes Watkins. As the story begins Wes is about to propose to his nurse girlfriend Emmy Stewart. That’s where it all started to go wrong. When Emmy declines unexpectedly Wes finds out that she is being deployed overseas. As the couple work through why it’s not the right time to marry many unexpected little “secrets” are revealed.
Wes starts a graduate class about the American Civil War and ends up finding out about his family history in the process. While in the class Wes spends time with and gets closer to the father that left him as a child. He finds out about stories told and secrets kept. When he connects with his father things become clearer as explanations are spilled about why his father left, why he was in prison, and the real relationship between his parents.
While dealing with the stress, confusion and disillusionment about his parents Wes also begins to find out about another side of his girlfriend’s life. Wes finds out that Emmy has a past that she doesn’t want to share just yet. Wes’s trust in Emmy, his mother and his father are all tested multiple times in this moving story.
As relationships are changed, tested and mended Wes, his father, his mother and Emmy each find out that things will never be quite the same. Each has to forgive and let go of their past to move forward in a new relationship. This forgiveness comes slowly and not without a lot of hurt. Each character endures their own pain while searching for happiness, forgiveness and respect. While I won’t tell you how it ultimately comes out in the end, I’m confident that reading this book will challenge you to think about the things and people that are important in your life.
The characters in Legacy Road are well-developed and meaningful. The storyline is though-provoking and challenging. I really enjoyed the weaving of the story through a variety of paths each leading to a different conclusion. Mr. Garrison has done a fine job of mixing history and storytelling while “preaching” a bit to his readers about God’s forgiveness.
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