Tethered

by David Lozell Martin

As he approaches puberty, Gabriel Kennedy Strauss, the only son of a southern Illinois farmer and his incurably sentimental wife, lives in a private world of fantasy which is all too often invaded by the stark reality of farm life and family conflict. Running away from home to live with his grandfather in San Francisco is chief among his fantasies until it is pushed to reality, and the adventure proves to be a minor disaster for the boy. An over-stern father and an ambivalent mother are unaware of the boy's problems until the abortive runaway attempt bring his needs sharply into focus. In this, his first novel, Martin has successfully captured the drudgery of farm work, the loneliness of long rural winters, and the graphic details of barnyard humor, and tempered it with the flights and fears of a sensitive twelve-year-old boy to create a beautifully introspective story of adolescence and rural life in the 1960s.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1979

About the author

David Martin is the author of ten novels that range from the international bestselling thriller Lie To Me to the acclaimed love story, The Crying Heart Tattoo.

Reviews

[Amanda Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not finish this book. The storyline could flow much better. I would hope for more development in the characters.