Long Way Gone by Charles Martin

★★★★★
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 “No matter where you go, no matter whether you succeed or fail, stand or fall, no gone is too far gone. You can always come home.” 

At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish.

Five years after losing everything, he falls in love with Daley Cross, an angelic voice in need of a song. But just as he realizes his love for Daley, Cooper faces a tragedy that threatens his life as well as his career. With nowhere else to go, he returns to his remote home in the Colorado Mountains, searching for answers about his father and his faith.

When Daley shows up on his street corner twenty years later, he wonders if it’s too late to tell her the truth about his past—and if he is ready to face it.

A radical retelling of the story of the prodigal son, Long Way Gone takes us from tent revivals to the Ryman Auditorium to the tender relationship between a broken man and the father who never stopped calling him home.

In this reimagining of the biblical Parable of the Prodigal Son, Charles Martin tells a beautiful story - heartbreaking, thought-provoking, moving - of family and music, passion and rebellion, hardship and healing, and I loved it. I had a hard time putting Long Way Gone down, since it is an excellently written book with great characterizations of the parable’s classic roles, as well as a relatability in the spiritual truths it conveys. Emotionally engaging and satisfying, this book is one I highly recommend to interested readers.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of Long Way Gone and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. (I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)