The Prodigal's Son

This novel is the engrossing account of three generations of fathers, sons and brothers who can't seem to break through the emotional walls that separate them. Alan Saunders is frustrated by Ray, his aging father, who has retreated from life following the death of his beloved wife, Alice. But when Ray accidentally - and unwittingly - sets fire to his apartment building, he's forced to move in with Alan and his wife Marianne. Suddenly, they're faced with having to adjust - to each other, to unspoken grief, and to the reopening of old wounds. But soon they find themselves swept up in the cataclysmic chain of events that Ray's fire sets in motion: salacious rumors, police investigations, accusations of insurance fraud, and the sudden appearance of a ten-year-old grandson Ray never knew he had. When these events culminate in a frenzied attempt to reunite the boy with his father - Ray's estranged, youngest son Stan - Alan, Marianne and Ray are forced to reexamine their deepest fears and feelings: about Stan, but also about themselves, and what it truly means to be a family.