An Acre of Fools

“It is said that the Original Sin was the thought that we could be independent of God, and it is that constant fight for independence that causes all the grief in our lives. If that be true, then we are all fools because we fight for control every minute of every day. . . . At least that’s what Dad thought–that is, until he didn’t know what to think anymore. And that is when our story turned the darkest–when Dad lost his faith.”

So explains our narrator in An Acre of Fools, which follows Peter Stewart, a man who uproots his family to start fresh. But with the birth of his daughter Austin, their lives change dramatically. After overcoming a life-threatening childhood illness, Austin isn’t free of her battles. She develops a terrifying addiction to narcotics and sinks ever deeper into a lifestyle of desperate selfishness, manipulation, and dependence on shady partners. For a while, her father maintains unwavering hope for her recovery, despite the conflict this causes with the rest of the family. But eventually, Austin’s betrayals test even his faith, and he is pulled into a violent, relentless battle against the addiction that threatens to destroy her. As Peter takes matters into his own hands, he faces the moral tightrope between justice and revenge in the name of love.

This is not just a novel about addiction–it’s a thriller that asks how far a father is willing to go to protect his child. Inspired by actual events, it’s a modern story with an ancient theme: Can you fight evil without becoming evil yourself? Can you pursue the lost without becoming lost yourself?