The Myth of Jake

When Southern golden boy and heir-apparent to a multigenerational legacy Jake Goodloe dies tragically, his best friend Maggie Carlton does what she always does in the face of pain - she writes. But Maggie's effort to define Jake's past has unintended consequences that force Maggie to re-evaluate their friendship as well as her most closely-held values. Jake and Maggie have been best friends their whole lives and lovers from time-to-time. Growing up in the small town of Tempelton, Tennessee, they recognize in one another an inquisitiveness most of their fellow Tempeltonians seem to lack. Jake, the golden boy heir-apparent to an upstanding family's legacy, struggles to reconcile his family and social demands with his innate curiosity and desire to leave the small town he finds so stifling. His friendship with Maggie offers a respite and provides an opportunity for honesty his everyday life does not. Though firmly plot-driven, The Myth of Jake is highly thematic and engages the reader in explorations of loss, religion, commitment, honesty, and authenticity.