The Tree

by Brian R. Smith

A young boy escapes the horrors of his daily life by finding shelter and protection under a giant tree outside of the small Iowa farm community of Gilman. Drugs, death and crime surround him, plaguing his every step as the boy struggles to become a man growing up with an abusive father and a mother who never wanted him, eventually forced to make it on his own. After twenty-five years of running from the demons he tried to leave behind in Gilman, he reluctantly returns as a man and faces the dreams that haunt him. The Tree brings you inside the devastation caused by physical and mental abuse, the lasting effect it can have even when overcome successfully, and finding closure in your own way.

216 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2006