A FAR JOURNEY

Come meet Annie Marie, a fourteen-year-old girl, who is dealing with the death of her mother in childbirth, and the necessity of taking care of her younger siblings. When, a few months later, her father brings home a strange woman and announces he plans to marry her, Annie is horrified. Annie’s father does get married and Annie, mired deep in resentment and anger over the situation, often lashes out at those around her. The situation becomes even more complicated when she discovers that her step-mother has become pregnant.
Annie must also deal with the demands of starting high school, where she encounters a whole new set of problems that provide a counterpoint to those she faces at home. As the story progresses, Annie is torn between her resentment and a dawning compassion for her step-mother. Annie is also haunted by her mother’s death in childbirth and the loss of a sibling. Most of the time though, her resentment gets the upper hand and finally boils to the surface during a visit to her step-grandparents when she hears her step-mother complaining about her. Annie is stung, and her explosive reaction results in not only a deeper rift with her step-mother, but threatens her relationship with her father.
Set in the 1960’s in western Oklahoma, A FAR JOURNEY is a mesmerizing recital of the timeless issues of learning to go on in the face of grief, acceptance, forgiveness, friendship, and love.