Parent Imperfect

Parent Imperfect, the sequel to One-Match Fire, tells the story of a man who was almost given

up for adoption, another man who wishes he had been, and the son who came to them because he

was.

Parent Imperfect is a novel about the joys and sorrows of fatherhood as two men, one an eager

father and the other a reluctant father, face the challenges of raising their adopted son. One grows

emotionally aloof because he fears he cannot love a child who is not biologically his own. The

other battles severe depression yet knows he must remain the anchor for the little family. And as

the son grows and sees all of this, he comes to doubt that he can ever truly belong or be worthy

of love.

The boy finds solace in his grandparents, his growing artistic talent, which is haunted by

horizontal lines that reveal their profound meaning at the novel's climax, his imaginary friends,

who may not be so imaginary, and the little cabin in the Ozarks where the men of the family have

always found peace with each other as they shed their defenses (as well as their clothes when

they skinny-dip) to find common ground. The novel culminates in a stolen car, a brazen act of

vandalism to the beloved cabin, the revelation of long-held secrets, and what a fractious father

and son find may be the beginning of a deep and hopeful relationship. It is ultimately a love story

(with a hint of magical realism).

Parent Imperfect continues the saga of the Clark family in its newest generation, welcoming an

important new character and saying goodbye to a beloved older one. It is a novel of resilience,

hope, and the unlikely ways people find to bind themselves to each other.