Blue Graffiti

DEBUT Cash lives in a small town in rural Wisconsin. His father is abusive toward him, but Cash still yearns for his love. His devoutly religious mother was killed in a car accident five years earlier when Cash was 24. His father took off for parts unknown after her death. Now Cash spends his days painting houses and his nights at the local bar. Most nights, he openly shows he has a substance-use disorder. He has a few close friends who, like Cash, never managed to leave town. Yet, he longs to leave one day, although he loves the town and its residents. He has few role models and fewer aspirations, but he waxes philosophical about life and its meaning as he tries to make it through each day. When he meets Rose, he falls in love for the first time. When his father shows up unexpectedly, Cash is forced to think about forgiveness and closure. Some readers may find the characters inauthentic, the Southern and Midwest dialogue stereotypical, and Cash’s intellectual and philosophical bent a bit overblown.