Scraps of Grace

A single father grapples with the loss of self-identity in the wake of trauma, and begins to long for spiritual connection.

Twenty-six-year-old Tyler Manion is overwhelmed by the loss in his life. Six months ago, his wife died suddenly, and tomorrow will be his last day at General Motors. Raising his nearly two-year-old son alone, he puts up a brave front, pretending to have it all together. But he can't seem to focus, and his spiritual attention deficit disorder is keeping him from any meaningful connection with the one who could help him most in his hour of need.

A high school girl basketball phenom, a gruff World War II veteran, a hippie nun and a beguilingly brainy graduate student will each help him rediscover his sense of identity, and perhaps find his spiritual bearings.

Scraps of Grace opens in Michigan in the summer of 1990, a time of turmoil and of hopefulness, across the world and at home.

Often irreverent in tone and detail, Scraps of Grace resides in the conflicted present moment but abides in the eternal.

At the end of the book, there is a page of discussion questions for book clubs, designed to deepen readers' literary exploration of the themes of identity loss and spiritual renewal.

"Fascinating and recommended."

• Tom Morrisey, bestselling novelist and author of The Art of the Tale

"Entertaining and inspiring, Scraps of Grace captures a turbulent moment in time, while exploring timeless questions of faith."

• Chuck Snearly, author of The Guardian of Detritus and Far Out Man

"Scraps of Grace more than delivers."

• Indie Reader

"A poignant tribute to the complexity of life. What a beautiful story, so artfully written."

• Amy Drake, Waterleaf Women's Center, Aurora, IL