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Table of Contents
About The Book
The third novel in the New York Times bestselling series about an advertising executive who loses everything and embarks on a walk across America: “definitely a journey worth taking” (Booklist).
Reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, left behind everything he knew and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. As he treks the nearly 1,000 miles between South Dakota and St. Louis on foot, it’s the people he meets along the way who give the journey its true meaning: a mysterious woman who follows Alan for nearly a hundred miles, the ghost hunter searching graveyards for his wife, and the elderly Polish man who gives Alan a ride and shares a story that Alan will never forget.
Full of hard-won wisdom and truth, this is a moving stand-alone story as well as the continuation of the unforgettable bestselling Walk series. The Road to Grace is a compelling and inspiring novel about hope, healing, grace, and the meaning of life.
Reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, left behind everything he knew and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. As he treks the nearly 1,000 miles between South Dakota and St. Louis on foot, it’s the people he meets along the way who give the journey its true meaning: a mysterious woman who follows Alan for nearly a hundred miles, the ghost hunter searching graveyards for his wife, and the elderly Polish man who gives Alan a ride and shares a story that Alan will never forget.
Full of hard-won wisdom and truth, this is a moving stand-alone story as well as the continuation of the unforgettable bestselling Walk series. The Road to Grace is a compelling and inspiring novel about hope, healing, grace, and the meaning of life.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Note
The sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not we will rise to greet it.
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
Several months after I was mugged, stabbed, and left unconscious along the shoulder of Washington’s Highway 2, a friend asked me what being stabbed felt like. I told her it hurt.
Really, how do you describe pain? Sometimes doctors ask us to rate our pain on a scale from one to ten, as if that number had some reliable meaning. In my opinion there needs to be a more objective rating system, something comparative; like, would you trade what you’re feeling for a root canal or maybe half a childbirth?
And with what would we compare emotional pain—physical pain? Arguably, emotional pain is the greater of the two evils. Sometimes people will inflict physical pain on themselves to dull their emotional anguish. I understand. If I had the choice between being stabbed or losing my wife, McKale, again, the knife has the advantage—because if the knife kills me, I stop hurting. If it doesn’t kill me, the wound will heal. Either way the pain stops. But no matter what I do, my McKale is never coming back. And I can’t imagine that the pain in my heart will ever go away.
Still, there is hope—not to forget McKale, nor even to understand why I had to lose her—but to accept that I did and somehow go on. As a friend recently said to me, no matter what I do, McKale will always be a part of me. The question is, what part—a spring of gratitude, or a fountain of bitterness? Someday I’ll have to decide. Someday the sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not I will rise to greet it.
In the meantime, what I hope for most is hope. Walking helps. I wish I were walking again right now. I think I’d rather be anywhere right now than where I am.
© 2011 Richard Paul Evans
Note
The sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not we will rise to greet it.
Alan Christoffersen’s diary
Several months after I was mugged, stabbed, and left unconscious along the shoulder of Washington’s Highway 2, a friend asked me what being stabbed felt like. I told her it hurt.
Really, how do you describe pain? Sometimes doctors ask us to rate our pain on a scale from one to ten, as if that number had some reliable meaning. In my opinion there needs to be a more objective rating system, something comparative; like, would you trade what you’re feeling for a root canal or maybe half a childbirth?
And with what would we compare emotional pain—physical pain? Arguably, emotional pain is the greater of the two evils. Sometimes people will inflict physical pain on themselves to dull their emotional anguish. I understand. If I had the choice between being stabbed or losing my wife, McKale, again, the knife has the advantage—because if the knife kills me, I stop hurting. If it doesn’t kill me, the wound will heal. Either way the pain stops. But no matter what I do, my McKale is never coming back. And I can’t imagine that the pain in my heart will ever go away.
Still, there is hope—not to forget McKale, nor even to understand why I had to lose her—but to accept that I did and somehow go on. As a friend recently said to me, no matter what I do, McKale will always be a part of me. The question is, what part—a spring of gratitude, or a fountain of bitterness? Someday I’ll have to decide. Someday the sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not I will rise to greet it.
In the meantime, what I hope for most is hope. Walking helps. I wish I were walking again right now. I think I’d rather be anywhere right now than where I am.
© 2011 Richard Paul Evans
About The Author
Photo by Emily Drew.
Richard Paul Evans is the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty novels. There are currently more than thirty-five million copies of his books in print worldwide, translated into more than twenty-four languages. Richard is the recipient of numerous awards, including two first place Storytelling World Awards, the Romantic Times Best Women’s Novel of the Year Award, and five Religion Communicators Council’s Wilbur Awards. Seven of Richard’s books have been produced as television movies. His first feature film, The Noel Diary, starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) and acclaimed film director, Charles Shyer (Private Benjamin, Father of the Bride), premiered in 2022. In 2011 Richard began writing Michael Vey, a #1 New York Times bestselling young adult series which has won more than a dozen awards. Richard is the founder of The Christmas Box International, an organization devoted to maintaining emergency children’s shelters and providing services and resources for abused, neglected, or homeless children and young adults. To date, more than 125,000 youths have been helped by the charity. For his humanitarian work, Richard has received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award. Richard lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children and two grandchildren. You can learn more about Richard on his website RichardPaulEvans.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 5, 2013)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781451628289
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Raves and Reviews
“There's no doubt Evans knows how to keep the pages turning. A cliff-hanger ending ups the stakes, putting Alan's journey in jeopardy and ensuring readers will come back for the fourth outing. There's no stopping now.”—Booklist
“A fast and pleasurable read with plenty of local color and enough sentiment to evoke a tear or two.”—Kirkus
“Though written with a religious tone, The Road to Grace is for people of all beliefs. It is an intriguing story that is simply enjoyable to read.”—Deseret Morning News
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- Book Cover Image (jpg): The Road to Grace Trade Paperback 9781451628289
- Author Photo (jpg): Richard Paul Evans Photo by Emily Drew.(0.1 MB)
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