The Willow Switch
Book Description
The Willow Switch continues the story of the Kikkert family that began with The Doll in McCallaway's Store. The
story is told by young Joseph Lawson and takes place mostly on Joseph's
great grandfather's farm, which his mother, Valerie, has inherited.
Joseph clings to the memory of past summer vacations on the farm
learning baseball and other things about life from his belove...
MoreThe Willow Switch continues the story of the Kikkert family that began with The Doll in McCallaway's Store. The
story is told by young Joseph Lawson and takes place mostly on Joseph's
great grandfather's farm, which his mother, Valerie, has inherited.
Joseph clings to the memory of past summer vacations on the farm
learning baseball and other things about life from his beloved Grandpa
Joe. But with his grandfather now gone, Joseph's father, Karl, takes out
the frustration of his failures by abusing both his wife and son. It is
in what was once Joseph's favorite place to be with his grandfather
that Karl introduces his son to the willow switch as a form of brutal
punishment. Unknown to his mother, Joseph is taken to the tool shed and
beaten severely for even the slightest infraction. When Valerie learns
of this abuse, it becomes the last straw in a long series of events that
have destroyed her marriage, and she files for divorce. Joseph remains
bitter toward his mother, fighting against the love that she has always
shown him. He is angry with her for putting up with her abusive husband
for so long, and angry with himself for not being more like Mark
Harrison, one of his peers at school. When his mother meets and falls in
love with Jacob Kikkert, Joseph is not sure that he can welcome another
man into his and his mother's life, even though he is delighted at the
thought of Molly Kikkert, Jacob's spirited and wise-beyond-her-years
daughter, becoming his kid sister. Valerie and Jacob's courtship becomes
a three family affair as the Harrison family, led by its matriarch,
Grandma Annabelle (Annabelle McNealy), becomes involved. After Jacob and
Valerie are married, Joseph is sure his worst fears are about to be
realized when his new stepfather gives him his knife and tells him to go
cut a willow switch and meet him in the tool shed. He soon learns,
however, that Jacob Kikkert has an entirely new purpose for this and the
many other willow switches that follow as Joseph journeys through
adolescence. (Word count - 58,639)
Publisher | Hermitage Books |
Binding | Kindle Edition (2 editions) |
Reading Level | Uncategorized
|
# of Pages | N/A |
ISBN-10 | B004H1U382 |
Publication Date | 10/21/2006 |
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