But for the Grace of God

by Buras, Johanna Nelson

• ISBN13: 9781477521779
• ISBN10: 1477521771
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-30
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Summary

Craig Weiss and his mother certainly did not consider themselves fortunate when Peter Weiss left them without any means of support, causing financial hardship and loneliness that persisted for many years. However, by the time Craig and his father are reunited at his grandmother's funeral thirty years later, Craig, to the surprise of his wife, mother, and father, has inexplicably and resolutely forgiven Peter Weiss for his parental neglect.Rather than being pleased that his son readily accepts him, Peter, who is apparently aging badly and is married to his sixth wife, rejects the notion that he should be forgiven for leaving Craig and his mother without any support, and thus presents one of his typical tantrums that threatens to frighten Craig away permanently. Peter has been to prison twice for an extremely violent temper that has shattered many lives, and Craig, who has doubts about the sincerity of his father's remorse, questions his uncle's assertions that Peter has shunned his lifestyle of anger and violence. When Craig begins his quest for information about the family's past in order to discover the basis of his father's violent behavior and the reason for his subsequent time in prison, he meets resistance from loved ones who want to shelter him from the reality of having a father with an uncontrollable disposition. Craig seeks the assistance of public court records and makes some crucial discoveries with the help of an assistant who researches newspaper microfilm archives. His findings lead him on a desperate quest for understanding as he pursues the identity and whereabouts of the boy Peter Weiss severely harmed. Craig becomes preoccupied with the boy's condition and dwells on the knowledge that his father's actions caused the boy's young mother to commit suicide. Meanwhile, Craig's wife, Julia, who volunteers at a school for children with special needs, becomes enamored by a remarkable teenager named Ryan, who has origins eerily similar to those of the boy Peter Weiss abused. Craig suffers from a form of survivor's guilt after he realizes that he and his mother could easily have ended up enduring pain and suffering experienced by Ryan and Lucy...But for the Grace of God.