‘BlogTour ‘Raft Of Stars’ by Andrew J Graff

About the book…

The further you run the closer you get to the truth…

An instant classic for fans of ‘Where The Crawdads Sing’ and ‘We Begin At The End!

The most heartbreaking and beautifully written debut novel of 2021.

One summer night in Wisconsin, the lives of two ten-year-old boys are changed forever…

Tired of seeing his best friend Dale Breadwin abused by his alcoholic father, Fischer Branson takes action. A gunshot rings out, and Bread and Fish flee into the woods. They build a raft, but the river quickly leads them into even greater danger.

In their wake travel a group of adults – Sherriff Cal, aspiring poet Tiffany, Fish’s grandad, and his mother Miranda – each determined to save the boys from the terrors of Ironsford Gorge.

The further they go, the more the wilderness starts to change them in profound and unexpected ways. And when they reach the edge of the Gorge itself, they begin to understand the true violence and beauty of the natural world, and its ability to heal.

No matter where you run danger will always follow…

Huge thanks to the awesome team at HQ Stories for the e-arc and blogtour invite for ‘Raft Of Stars’ which is published in ebook on March 23rd!

Jeepers but this book gave me goosebumps right from the start. The writing is gorgeous and Fish and Bread make an immediate impact as two young boys whose escape from a life which has treated them so diffidently. One of them makes a choice to stand up for the other and the consequences of this act are lifechanging.

They feel that their dreams and visions can sustain them as they set off, feeling that they have broken away from their childhood and are now adults. But being only young, they have no sense of the danger they have put themselves in as they set off down a river towards a future they fully believe will come true.

The adults who come after them are lost in their own ways, brought together by their mutual need to bring Fish and Bread back home. The dual narratives of the boys and the people looking after them are so intricately plotted and dynamically translated onto the page that you cannot help but be swept away by the underlying emotions and emotionally invest in the outcome of this journey.

This is a novel of hope, the fallibility of the human heart and redemption and it is beautifully reflected in the wilderness and natural world that these characters find themselves in. It’s absolutely beautiful and a recommended read from me for sure!

About the author…

Andrew J. Graff grew up fishing, hiking, and hunting in Wisconsin’s Northwoods.

After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Graff earned an MFA from the University of Iowa.

He lives in Ohio and teaches at Wittenberg University.

Links-https://www.andrewjgraff.com/raftofstars

Twitter @HQStories