When a car crash takes a life, to whom does the tragedy really happen—-the wife who dies? The husband who was driving? Or the six-year-old son sitting in the backseat? Author George Harrar explores this provocative question in his debut novel, set in the arts colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, on the Delware River. The book begins 10 years after the accident when Jake Paine, now 16, comes home after almost a year as a runaway. His return sparks painful memories in his father, a man verging on a nervous breakdown. Jake’s appearance also ignites old fears among townspeople about a boy who dances on the edge of craziness.

Nothing much happens in the small town of Red Paint, the "Friendliest Town in Maine." It''s the kind of place where everyone knows your name, a romantic night out might include meatloaf, and carnivals still hold a kind of magical wonder. Simon Howe, once a promising reporter in Portland, Maine, is the last person anyone would have expected to move back to his childhood home to raise a family. He''s owner and editor of the local paper, husband to a hard wife who can''t help but play therapist to the family''s problems, and father to a son who seems to be growing up far too quickly. Yet, Simon''s quiet existence dramatically changes when he starts receiving threatening messages from an anonymous sender. As Simon tries to identify his stalker, he must also struggle to keep his life and family together as secrets from his past threaten to destroy everything he has built.

When a car crash takes a life, to whom does the tragedy really happen—-the wife who dies? The husband who was driving? Or the six-year-old son sitting in the backseat? Author George Harrar explores this provocative question in his debut novel, set in the arts colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, on the Delware River. The book begins 10 years after the accident when Jake Paine, now 16, comes home after almost a year as a runaway. His return sparks painful memories in his father, a man verging on a nervous breakdown. Jake’s appearance also ignites old fears among townspeople about a boy who dances on the edge of craziness.

Nothing much happens in the small town of Red Paint, the "Friendliest Town in Maine." It''s the kind of place where everyone knows your name, a romantic night out might include meatloaf, and carnivals still hold a kind of magical wonder. Simon Howe, once a promising reporter in Portland, Maine, is the last person anyone would have expected to move back to his childhood home to raise a family. He''s owner and editor of the local paper, husband to a hard wife who can''t help but play therapist to the family''s problems, and father to a son who seems to be growing up far too quickly. Yet, Simon''s quiet existence dramatically changes when he starts receiving threatening messages from an anonymous sender. As Simon tries to identify his stalker, he must also struggle to keep his life and family together as secrets from his past threaten to destroy everything he has built.