Searching for Joy

by Tim Barretto

Sixty year old self-employed architect Tom Derringer has always been a confident, self-assured man. But when he discovers he has prostate cancer his confidence is shaken and he is forced to confront the meaning of his life and the possibility of his death in ways he has never done before. In the the process he must come to understand--and come to terms with--himself, his wife and his son. "Tim Barretto's novel successfully navigates both the private waters of the inner self and the contemporary concrete joys of daily life...Thoughtful yet tough-minded, his book resonates with courage and reflective wisdom yearning for redemptive closure." -Steve Hickoff "Men's search for meaning, exuberance, and joy in their lives--especially in relation to the ones they love and nurture--challenges them mightily, and brings them up regularly against their inmost fears and very human inadequacies. Tim Barretto's haunting first novel invokes both Norman Maclean's literary flintiness and Mary Sarton's poetical deliberativeness as he explores the emotional legacies with which fathers and sons involve one another." -Rick Agran, author of Crow Milk and Pumpkin Shivaree Tim Barretto teaches writing, speaking, and literature at the UNH's Thompson School of Applied Science. He and colleague Kate Hanson co-founded the Community Leadership program to help students interested in becoming activists and community leaders find and develop their voices. His creative work includes short stories and a play about bullying that was performed at several schools in New Hampshire. He has spent most of his life pursuing ways to eliminate child abuse. When he has free time, he loves to spend it outdoors fishing, hiking, or skiing with family and friends. He lives in Dover, NH, with his wife, Mary.

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2007