Refuge

by Bill VanPatten

From award-winning author, Bill VanPatten . . .Jesse Pérez’s fifteen-year-old pregnant niece from Texas shows up on his doorstep in Central California seeking help. Still grieving from the death of his husband while raising their ten-year-old son alone, Jesse is plunged into the politics and legal issues of post-Roe America. Violent forces threaten the peaceful life he has built with his son—putting him on the path to a showdown with his estranged evangelical family in Lubbock, Texas.

312 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2024

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another suspenseful tale from BVP inspired by the zeitgeist, making it interesting from a larger political/cultural perspective with situations and characters anyone can identify with, but of particular interest to those of us in the "alphabet community." Texas makes for a conflict-rich setting: the church-fueled homophobia and patriarchy encountered there contrast with the refuge California offers. I look forward to reading more of these interesting narratives from BVP exploring relationships, grief, family, and diversity of many kinds. The families depicted in their efforts (or refusal) to accept one another's authentic selves, reflect the growing pains as a nation to do the same (or not) as a people.

[K.A. Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful book! I love how this author puts so much thought and intention on the family dynamics in the book.