A Thin Place

Joe lives an idyllic life. He needs nothing more than what he has, which is nothing more than a dog and some hills to wander. That is, until it's all whisked away early one morning, as he's thrown into his parents' car, his best friend Corky's gone missing, and rumor has it something dark is stirring in the family. Joe is about to lose everything he has ever loved yet his parents and older brother won't tell him why. In a new town, at a new school, the new guy sticks out: Joe tries to sort through the more painful experiences of life, to find what matters most. With the encouragement of a beautiful, warm-hearted girl named Ellen, Joe may just find the Hope he is so desperately searching for. Inspired by his true experiences, David Weiskircher writes a moving portrayal of a young man's journey through finding hope and peace amidst the whirlwind of pain and trauma. A Thin Place shows us a viscerally truthful portrait of an attempt to sift through the agony of loss and the secrets our family refuses to tell us. This story is one of resilience; of the recovery from what shatters us to our core. A Thin Place can be a useful tool for teachers in helping them build trauma-informed classrooms.

About the Author :
David Weiskircher grew up in the tree-studded hills of Ohio, before abruptly moving to Florida where there are few trees and even fewer hills. From there he made a short hop to Atlanta, a place that provided plenty of trees and a sprinkling of hills. He worked for Corporate America hoping he'd come to love it - or, at least, be sufficiently deluded by it - but such was not the case. One lucky sunny day, Mr. Weiskircher looked to his side and found his love standing, patiently waiting. He and his wife had years together and though they had enjoyed their time abundantly, it wasn't nearly enough. Breast cancer saw to that. Instead of children, the pair went with dogs, and soon after, a menagerie was born. Nearly all were herding dogs. When Mr. Weiskircher's wife died, he found himself in the middle of a raging storm. But he had shepherds by his side. They saw the storm . . . and they kept him moving forward on the right path. And now, in his spare time, Mr. Weiskircher writes about things he learned in life, and more often than not, dogs.

Review :
"David Weiskircher writes out of the depth and wealth of his own personal experience of faith, family, grief and mental illness. As a pastoral counselor, these colorful facets are at the core of effective pastoral psychotherapy (i.e.: care of the soul). The professional privilege has been all mine to journey with David though that 'holy ground'; to walk alongside him "through the valley of the shadow of death." He writes about that which he knows because he has carefully walked through the valley, or what he has called 'A Thin Place'." -- Doyle R. Hamilton, III, D.Min., LMFT "While Joe deals with the dissolution of his family, he also contends with the development of his own identity. Joe has a smart mouth and a combative personality that tend to make life harder for him. Throughout A THIN PLACE Joe learns that the world isn't "black and white, prim and proper, right and wrong", but instead "all kinds of gray". A THIN PLACE is typically shelved under young adult fiction because of Joe's teenage perspective, but the lessons he learns about morality and personal identity will appeal to adult readers, as well." -- Stephani Hren, IndieReader "It is clear that A Thin Place is a way for Weiskircher to process his past and learn to forgive just as Joe does.... This novel illuminates the perspective of a young person facing it head on for the first time. This is a testament to hindsight. I appreciated Weiskircher's ability to put his realisations down on paper and learn to accept what has happened." -- Daniella Poloni, Reedsy Discovery