"This taut first novel takes a grim topic–the treatment of the mentally ill in 1910–and manages to transform it into a positive story of the bond between brothers and the slow but certain healing power of love. " (Publishers Weekly starred review, April 1998)
His brother or his father: Matthew Hobson has to choose, and his decision will change his life.
The year is 1910. Matthew is in college, struggling to follow his father, a fire-and-brimstone preacher, into the ministry. Matthew's brother Zack is pressuring him to come out west and share his Colorado ranch. The stress tears Matthew apart. Zack rescues him, and through an old fiddle and the help of his brother, Matthew finds his way. His story is a tribute to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love.