Ashes

by Steven Manchester author of DAD

Overview

Middle-aged brothers Jason and Tom Prendergast thought they were completely done with each other. Perceived betrayal had burned the bridge between them, tossing them into the icy river of estrangement. But life – and death – has a robust sense of irony, and when they learn that their cruel father has died and made his final request that they travel together across the country to spread his ashes, they have no choice but to spend a long, long car trip in each other’s company. It’s either that or lose out on the contents of the envelope he’s left with his lawyer. The trip will be as gut-wrenching as each expects it to be. .. and revealing in ways neither of them is prepared for.

At turns humorous, biting, poignant, and surprisingly tender, ASHES puts a new spin on family and dysfunction with a story that is at once fresh and timelessly universal.

WINNER – LOS ANGELES BOOK FESTIVAL
WINNER – GREAT NORTHWEST BOOK FESTIVAL
WINNER – AMSTERDAM BOOK FESTIVAL
WINNER – INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS
WINNER – BEACH BOOK FESTIVAL
RUNNER-UP – PARIS BOOK FESTIVAL
RUNNER-UP – GREAT SOUTHEAST BOOK FESTIVAL
RUNNER-UP – NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL
RUNNER-UP – HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611882421
Publisher:	The Story Plant
Publication date:	02/21/2017
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months,The Rockin’ Chair, Pressed Pennies, and Gooseberry Island as well as the novels Goodnight, Brian and The Changing Season. His work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning, and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He lives with his family in southern Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

Steven Manchester has the enviable ability to capture the intricacies of the human heart through words. Ashes is a moving novel of two brothers and their journey back to one another. A must read.

Heather Gudenkauf

Ashes is a wonderfully character-driven, page-turning tale of two estranged brothers on a personal quest across the country. Their spontaneous road trip is a bumpy one, full of twists and turns and peopled with all sorts of colorful characters along the way, but it’s also touched with humor—enough to amuse and delight the reader through a heartfelt, life-changing journey of self-discovery. Manchester’s devoted fans will find much to love in his new novel, which proves he is an author who knows how to keep readers well-entertained, while touching their hearts deeply and profoundly at the same time.

Julianne MacLean

When two middle-aged, estranged brothers hit the road with their father’s ashes in the back seat of the car, what begins as a grueling test of opposites ends up as a heroic testament to love. Ashes is a story about disappointment, dysfunctional families, and male aging, filled with observations that are both painfully true and terribly funny. Sometimes raw, always engaging, Steven Manchester’s novel is a wry and wise journey through the ruins of the American Dream.

William Kent Kruger

Ashes uses a poignant cross-country expedition to explore the shared history of an interesting pair of estranged brothers charged with fulfilling their father's bizarre last wish. The pilgrimage twists through childhood memories of comic misdeeds and bruising misunderstandings, detours into sibling squabbles, and bounces over the ruts of problematic marriages and ornery children to arrive at an unexpectedly wonderful destination. I loved it.

Anne Hillerman