"Three days. Two guys. One lives. One dies."
That's the cover hook for The Road to Renewal, a 280-page novel released Oct. 9, 2018. It marks the third work published under the Fashan Books banner by Kirby Lee Davis, author of God’s Furry Angels and A Year in the Lives of God’s Furry Angels.
Reflective of yesteryear's screwball comedies, the tone in The Road to Renewal undergoes dramatic change through its 42 chapters. What starts as an amusing farce, suitable for teens through adults, soon descends into tragedy.
“At least once in our lives, we face a trial by fire that threatens everything we hold dear,” said Davis, who based The Road to Renewal on events in his past. “Some people draw strength from such sieges, while others suffer scars that never fade.”
The Road to Renewal tells how one follower of Christ, a newspaper humorist shaken by divorce, crosses paths with another believer battling his own personal demons.
“They share a three-day plunge into despair, darkness, and death,” said Davis, 58. “Both question their faith through hardships each is sure can get no worse, only to be proven wrong again and again.”
How these two respond to such twists and turns reflects their different mindsets, a battleground Davis enters at full throttle.
“The Road To Renewal by Kirby Lee Davis is a Christian novel that certainly messes with your head,” wrote ChristianBookaholic.com reviewer Julia Wilson, who called the book “fabulous.”
“I enjoyed it," she wrote, "although at times I found it hard to get my head around the action – what was real? What was imagined? The novel was certainly realistic as it showed the battles we all have inside our head as our spiritual side wars with our flesh side.”
Davis hopes the questions raised in this book help his Christian drama reach and appeal to secular markets. The book pulls no punches while examining sex, divorce, prejudice, debt, crime, loneliness, suicide, and many other elements of modern life, frequently drawing laughs amidst its escalating conflict. In her review, Wilson warned readers of language some may find objectionable.
“Its satirical wit may very well alienate some Christians, and then there’s the subject matter,” Davis said with a smile. “But I hope this aggressive, honest approach opens doors in our increasingly divided society, allowing doubters and cynics to reconsider what Christians themselves debate and yet hold dear. If readers may set aside preconceptions and study their lives anew, all might find something to ponder and laugh about in this book. I hope so.”
The Road to Renewal’s front cover synopsis reflects Davis’s passion for music. As the poem evolved, Davis turned it into the first verse of a song he’s long played with. That lyric dominates the book’s back cover: "Three days. Two guys. One lives. One Dies. One father who struggles to survive his divorce. One son whose troubles allow no remorse. One sinner who fails to dig his way out. One believer whose trails leave no room for doubt. Three days. Two guys. One lives. One dies."
The Road to Renewal is now available at online outlets just about everywhere... including this website! Click on either cover photo to learn more.
This article was drawn from the Oct. 8, 2018, press release announcing the publication of The Road to Renewal.