The Road Leaving Nod

The Road Leaving Nod

Sometimes the road out of a place begins long before anyone realizes they are leaving.

Set in a small New England mill town in 1971, The Road Leaving Nod follows seventeen-year-old brothers Eli and Ray as they come of age inside a troubled family. Their father, Ray Sr., is a hard-working but deeply wounded World War II veteran whose life has been shaped by alcohol, anger, and memories he cannot escape. Their mother, Evelynn, struggles with her own emotional and mental turmoil. Amid the uncertainty, the boys find refuge in the places and people that offer them a glimpse of something different—a lake house, an old barn, a workshop, and the possibility that life might someday take them somewhere beyond their town.

But beneath the surface of everyday family life, something darker is taking shape.

The story moves between memory, dreams, family relationships, and the uncertain boundary between life and death. As Eli's journey unfolds, the reader is left to consider what is real, what is remembered, and what may exist beyond the life we know.

Themes

At its heart, The Road Leaving Nod is a story about family, trauma, memory, forgiveness, and the search for a way forward. It explores how one generation's experiences can shape the next—and how, even in the darkest circumstances, a person may still search for meaning, hope, and a road leading somewhere else.