Young Paul Bradley's life seems carefree. He fishes, invents a better rabbit trap, sings his heart out in church, and romps the Appalachian woods with his pals. His family is supportive, his mother kind. But a head injury compels the boy to write obsessively. His secret journal reveals struggles with truth, sin, and lies. He writes of unsettling behavior of adults, tries to tell God what needs fixing, and wrestles with growing suspicions of church teachings. By the time Paul is sixteen, his preacher-father is still his hero. But Paul is angry. Why do I have to leave my school, girlfriend, and pals? Why move again? His father is evasive, demands obedience, and forces him to submission. Paul wishes him dead. Crammed in the family car, Paul watches as his father drives alone in the moving van ahead, accelerates, veers and plunges headlong off the Yadkin River bridge. "A 1950's Huckleberry Finn joins Holden Caulfield in a humorous yet poignant reverse mystery."