In High Places

by Tom Morrisey

A Breath From Tragedy, a Whisper from Glory

For Patrick Nolan, every climb tells a story. And now maybe it's his own…. He's right at the rim, staring over the cliff's knife edge and wondering how things went wrong so quickly.

It all started after arriving home from a weekend climbing trip with his father, Kevin. That's when word reached them. In a silent moment, they'd lost the person most important to them--her death raising unanswerable questions and dangerous doubts.

Launching a new life in a new town to escape their pain, son and father find themselves in danger of being torn apart forever. As his father seeks a route to solace on the dangerous high face of the rock, Patrick finds a path to hope with the unlikeliest of allies--a pastor's daughter. Together they must discover the one answer that can bring Patrick and Kevin back from the brink of the precipice

Sometimes There's No Place to Go But Up

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Contemporary, Adventure, Suspense, Christian

318 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Tom Morrisey is the author of six novels and short stories, is a world-renowned adventure-travel writer whose work has appeared in Outside, Sport Diver (where he serves as Editor at Large) and other leading magazines. He holds an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Toledo and an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He lives in Orlando, Florida. Visit Tom's Web site at www.tommorrisey.com

Reviews

[J.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo not my usual pick for summer reading. To be honest, I expected to get a few chapters in, debate whether or not to continue, and then muscle through just to say I'd read it.

Ha! Joke's on me. This is easily among the best books I've read all year, and I'm recommending it to my teenage son.

This story is so "real" that I kept forgetting it was fiction. I would be about two years younger than Patrick, if he were real, and he seemed to me like a boy I might have known back in 1976. I loved the depiction of life in the 1970's, the poignant relationship between Patrick and his father, Kevin, and the love interest reminded me of girls I knew back then (although I would probably have been deathly jealous of anyone so beautiful and perfect-heh).

I took a rock-climbing class in college, only a few years after this story's setting, so the climbing scenes brought back many memories. So much about the book evoked memories and prompted me to think about people and events in my past in a new light.

I highly recommend this book.

[Gail Fagerstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at a thrift store. My purchase was under the limit for using my credit card so I grabbed a couple books to put my purchase over the amount needed to use the card... I was on my lunch break and out of time - so I grabbed this one because the cover looked interesting.

Turns out it was a really excellent grab.

It is so well written you immediately fall in love with this father and son and their trials and triumphs. I laughed, I cried. I commiserated. I wanted to know them.

The author un-apologetically inserts his own belief in God into the book but it is NOT a book about God or religion.

It is a book about the journey of a father and son. It is not a Hallmark journey. It looks very similar to a lot of our own journeys through life and you end up rooting for them as you would your own family and friends.

I was slightly bereft when it ended and I didn't get to spend any more time with them.

Highly recommend.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this great book, a story of father and son molding their lives together in the North Virginia Mountains following the unexpected death of thier wife and mother. Filled with action of mountain climbing, suspense, romance, touching father and son relationship, the word of strict Christians trying fitting into the world and a boy with no faith, seeking something to hang on to. A great story I thought would be for a man but totally for me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book especially for its unusual treatment of a topic way out of my comfort zone. The writing was authentic and readable, and the conclusions left me feeling satisfied and happy for the protagonists.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Nolan and his son, Patrick, are avid rock climbers and both are very skilled. But when they return from a climb to discover the most important person in their lives has commited suicide, they both ask themselves how do you keep on living when the center of your life commits suicide? This book details their search for answers.

Morrisey's descriptions of rock climbing were vividly detailed in this dramatic story, and the climbing tidbits at the end of each chapter explained some of the climbing lingo for readers who are unfamiliar with this sport. The story is told in first person through Patrick's perspective of their pain and attempts to move forward in the 70's in small town West Virginia. Kevin deals with his pain by pushing himself harder and harder while Patrick find his solace in a new friend who leads him to a deep faith in Jesus. This story deals with both hard subjects and hard choices, and Morrisey does an excellent job of including spiritual content without making it preachy.

This wold be a great read for both teenagers and adults.

[Ruth Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older book, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I didn’t notice that the publisher was Bethany House Publishing. It started off slow, but as I got into it more, I couldn’t stop reading it. There was a lot going on, but it was based on the Father and son relationship. You learn about mountain climbing and also how Jesus came into their lives. The author is an excellent “wordsmith.” I bought it at our local used bookstore.

[Brian Duane · Rating 1 out of 5]

not worth it

[Christine Slawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s starts out slow, but pulls you in. You want to find out what happens. I’m not a climber, but there’s a lot of climbing references. It’s a good book for the most part.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Nolan and his father Kevin are serious climbers. What most people in the climbing world would call "weekend warriors"- someone who goes climbing on the weekend because they are busy during the week. When Patrick's mom kills herself one weekend when they are on a climbing trip life changes completely. They leave town and head out to West Virginia to set up a climbing shop. The shop takes off and some of their favorite climbs are less then 50 meters away. When dangerous risks and rescues are taken on the wall by both Patrick and Kevin a wedge seems to be driven into their once perfect father-son relationship. To get away from all the hurt and pain Kevin throws himself into his work, while Patrick throws himself (or tries to) at Rachel. Rachel is the local preachers daughter who is beautiful, and catches the eye of Patrick. Mysteries from Laurie's -Patrick's mother- past life show up they make Patrick re-think the cause of her death and where she lives now in her after-life. As Patrick moves on and grows up to do amazing things he realizes what it is he wants to do with his life (aside from climbing of coarse). He and his father grow apart in miles but never again grow apart in their hearts.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It touches on serious questions and is chalk full of dangerous situations. Another aspect that cultivated me was the climbing lingo used throughout the book. I could understand all of this but it could get confusing to people who haven't set their anchors and started the sketchy lead route into the world of climbing. Overall and amazing book- my favorite book so far.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenage boy named Patrick and his father come home from a weekend of rock climbing to discover that the boy's mother died from an apparent suicide. The rest of the book deals with how the pair try to overcome their grief, create a new life, and find some answers. They move to West Virginia and open a trail goods store for rock climbers. Patrick worries about his father, who deals with his grief by going on increasingly risky climbs, and becomes involved with a group of churchgoers who hold weekly services at the nearby campground. [return]This book is full of all kinds of details about rock climbing, but also about how people searching for answers stumble across partial solutions in the darkness. Those who enjoy refective stories with highly engaging characters should definitely pick up this one.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this free, thinking it might add some variety to my usual diet of mystery and history. But I couldn't put it down! I'm a hiker, not a climber, but the climbing adventures were explained well enough to understand without dumbing down the readability. In fact, that's what drew my attention to the book in the first place. But along the way, I also grew interested in Patrick and his dad... feeling their pain and uncertainty, and grasping at the slight tendrils of hope they discover. Their story was surprisingly (and thankfully) a bit unpredictable, and as another reader commented, it sounded more like a memoir than a novel (a good thing, in this case). It was realistic in its intermingling of disappointment and lost hope, with achievement and faith and renewed hope. In fact, this overall theme of the book is portrayed in one of the very last sentences: Sometimes, hope is all you have.

[Steph Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A week ago I searched for "fiction rock climbing books", and I stumbled upon In High Places. I promptly reserved it from my local library and, aside from the fact I knew it was a climbing story, had no idea what this book was about.

You can imagine my surprise when I began reading it and realized that it took place in Seneca Rocks, my go-to rock climbing trip destination. It was fun reading about familiar places: Yokums, the swimming hole. It was even more fun reading about routes that I had climbed: Ye Gods, Skyline Traverse, Ecstasy. As a climber AND avid reader, I had truly exhausted all of the nonfiction climbing stories. I was excited about reading Patrick's story that included technical climbing jargon that I could follow and enjoy.

[Lila Spengler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice diversion from some more demanding reading I am doing. A work of fiction with a great message. It is themed around rock climbing in which I am not conversant so I found myself skipping through the descriptions of technical aspects of rock climbing. The characters were well developed and a good plot line line kept my attention. It does delve into the psychological impacts on a teenager who mother seemingly commits suicide (there is a story in a story here) and his relationship with his Dad. A love interest adds some drama and other life events change this young boy's life as we watch him grow and mature and find his place in God's family.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true coming of age novel as we see Patrick coming to terms with his mother's death, falling in love, discovering God's faithfulness, and trying in vain to deliver his father from grief. Told from Patrick's reflective POV as an adult, however, the novel has more depth. Morrisey reminds us that sometimes hope is all we need, and hope is all we have. Dealing with heavy issues of suicide and loved ones whose salvation is in question, he delivers a detailed novel on rock climbing and soul searching.

[Sarah Frobisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to give this book 4.5 stars. It took awhile for me to get into, the technical descriptions of rock climbing were lost on me at the beginning, but once I connected with the characters I really enjoyed this book.

It was surprisingly unpredictable, which I find rare these days. It was honest and real. I like how, while ending well, it was not the cookie cutter perfect ending often found in Christian literature. I am planning on reading more of Tom Morrisey's books.

[Mark Wm Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the capacity to be outstanding. The problem came in the ending, which drug on in descriptive fashion to the point that a fascinating story became laden with dross. I must admit to being a reader who leans toward hopeful endings. This could have been that book that suffered loss and regained hope. I think Morrisey wanted that end for the story. I wish he had not tried so hard to get there.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Story! I know nothing about rock climbing, but the author described activities in layman's terms to the extent I could very easily follow what was going on. The human interest components of the story made it that much better! I'm headed to the library to get another book by this author!

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book yesterday. I connected with certain parts of the book but my short attention span got the best of me at times as well. If you like outdoors and adventure reading such as (Into the Wild) by John.K then check it out. This book has it's dark moments but the end message is "hope is enough".

[April Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I know nothing of rock climbing, I enjoyed this beautiful book. It is well-written, almost poetic in nature, with characters that are complex and compelling. I loved that this book didn't have your typical happy ending, but rather it was more real and complicated, as life often is. I would highly recommend this book.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful, well-written novel. Coming of age tale about a teen boy who faces his mother's suicide and his father's grief. Lots of fascinating, authentic, rock climbing details, but not too many that the novel became a treatise on the subject. The ending wasn't exactly what I expected but fit the story. Recommended!

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel started out beautifully - pulling me in with both language and action. Along the way, though, certain plot devices felt like just that - devices, and I found myself getting impatient with it. If you are a rock climber, it's definitely worth a read, just for the descriptions of scaling the face of a cliff, different climbs and types of climb, and more.

[Pam Carter Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story line was captivating and I totally embraced the characters. I kept having the feeling that I was reading a true story and to remind myself that this was fiction.

In the beginning, I got a little bogged down in all the technical climbing jargon and started to put the book down several times but am glad I persevered to the end!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this when I started it, but it turned into a great read about a boy and his father after his Mother dies from CO exposure. It does get a little technical about the climbing stuff, more than I would care for, but the story line is good.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I am not a climber I enjoyed this book. It was nice to finally read something decent again.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written...I felt like it was more like an autobiography than fiction. The characters were portrayed so honestly that I felt like I knew them.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read exploring the relationship between a father and his son, as they try to build a new life together after the death of their mother.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book about the exploration of one's faith in light of tragedy.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook was free from Barnes and Noble when I downloaded it to my Nook library.

[David Horney · Rating 4 out of 5]

great story, terribly sad, no happy endings

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing was calming, honest and it read more like a memoir than a work of fiction. The plot had short bursts of excitement, but nothing too wild. Very real.