cover image Farmer's Son

Farmer's Son

N.E. Lasater. N.E. Lasater, $14.95 paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-9903069-0-0

Dyslexia propels this emotionally intense drama chronicling familial abuse and power struggles. Ashamed of his inability to properly read, Bobby McAllister succumbs to his father's constant ridicule and sacrifices his college plans to work the family farm and marry childhood sweetheart Sarah. Years later, Bobby discovers that his own son Kevin is also dyslexic. Can Bobby stop punishing himself for his condition and confront his father before his marriage and family are destroyed? This compassionate and honest examination of the relationships between fathers and sons features complex, emotionally scarred characters. While dyslexia results in much of the characters' anguish, rage, and suffering, the pain that family members inflict on one another is the dark heart of the modern rural tragedy. With an ending that is both shocking and redemptive, this is a powerful drama with a conscience.