The Carpenter's Notebook -- A Novel

Gideon used his tools for more than just building and improving the homes in his small town, he used them to build and improve his life. For Gideon, carpentry is more than nailing two pieces of wood together, it's a vital expression of who we are-of who we can become. While he worked the jobsites of his tumultuous, unplanned life, he learned what he called True Things: jobsite lessons that made sense of his existence as a young father, husband, and man in search of meaning.

Two years after Gideon's death, his son Brendan leaves his two daughters and collapsing marriage to return home and fulfill a promise: to remodel his father's dilapidated shop into an art studio for his mother. There, Brendan finds his father's dented and scratched aluminum contractor's clipboard. On the curled, yellowed papers inside, Gideon recorded the True Things that framed his existence and outlined the mission of his life. In it he kept treasures and secrets for his boy to find.

Too soft and out of shape, Brendan recalls sunny, sweaty summers long ago working with his father and re-discovers that building is both a physical and mental test. With every swing of his hammer and every turned page of his father's notebook, he makes progress rebuilding the shop. And, with every wall Brendan tips into place, every pound he sweats off, and every fear he defeats, Brendan rebuilds himself and his family's life.