Everything That Came Before Grace by Bill See

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Family Life Fiction, Coming of Age Fiction

• Paperback: 263 pages
• ISBN-13: 979-8697945605
• Publisher: Independently published (November 6, 2020)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B08MSMP6DW

Synopsis: A single-father comes of age as he discovers whether it’s love or fatherhood that could save him. Haunted by his mother’s death and a series of serendipitous events from his past, Benjamin Bradford desperately tries to keep his mental illness under control while raising his daughter Sophia. Set against the iconic streets of Los Angeles, there’s music always playing, heavy therapy sessions and private emails to discern, shattered friendships and betrayal, and the specter of a true love that got away. Think: Silver Linings Playbook meets High Fidelity with a dash of Eighth Grade. Can Benjamin find redemption? Can he escape his demons and find love again? Come along for the ride and find out.

Review:

This is one of the most moving books I've read this year. Single dad Benjamin is trying to raise his daughter Sophia while keeping her in the dark about his mental illness, as well as the mental illness of his mother (and its impact on his childhood). Add in losing his "one true love" in college, and subsequently seeing her married to his best friend, and life gets pretty complicated pretty fast. The main theme of the father-daughter relationship is very well-written, and its ups and downs are incredibly realistic. The fears Benjamin has about his parenting may seem a little over the top at times and make him more than a little overprotective, but it all tends to make him someone you just want to hug (and at times, shout at to get over himself). I was also glad to see that the author did not give us a predictable ending, but that it was still full of hope and promise. There are a lot of song references throughout the book, which was fun. The author has put together a Spotify playlist of all of them, which makes for a great soundtrack while reading.  Rating: Five years About the author Bill See was the founding member of critically acclaimed Los Angeles indie rock band Divine Weeks and has been a mainstay in the L.A. music and writing community since the mid-80s. His debut docu-novel "33 Days: Touring in a Van, Sleeping on Floors, Chasing a Dream" was released in 2011. His new novel, "Everything That Came Before Grace" is set to be released in December 2020. Check out the Everything That Came Before Grace Official Website at: https://www.everythingthatcamebeforegrace.com Check out the Everything That Came Before Grace Podcast: https://anchor.fm/etcbg See Divine Weeks on All Music Guide for an overview of the band's career: http://www.allmusic.com/album/never-get-used-to-it-r5916/review 33 Days Official Website: http://www.33daysthebook.com Divine Weeks' official website is http://www.divineweeks.com/