Waking in a Wide Land (Paperback)

At 19, Truman Miller is married to the meanest girl in town. Truman falls for the wide-eyed, copper-coiffed charms of Velma Vickus, his best friend's sister, before he understands that life with the perpetually dissatisfied Velma will be filled with frustration and heartache. A lively assortment of friends, family, and neighbors who populate the dwindling town of Whitney, Texas, watch helplessly as Truman is subjected to one cuckolding after another. Velma carries on with Truman's boss, with a local banker, with anyone who offers to enliven what she sees as a hopelessly uneventful life with her boring, bookworm husband. Truman's best friend, Kenny, is torn by his affection for Truman and loyalty to his sister, Velma. Kenny has a girlfriend, Lacey Evans, who lives with her agoraphobic mother and has few joys in life beyond TV preachers and her ill-tempered cat, Deuteronomy. Whitney is a typical small Texas town: it is filled with charming, crazy people. A crescendo of drama unfolds as Truman realizes the true state of his marriage, and he is faced with a choice: does he try to make things work with Velma, or does he leave Whitney and brave the unknown world beyond its dusty borders? Waking in a Wide Land is about difficult relationships, friendship, faith, and the urge to belong. At times rollicking, at times heartbreaking, this is a story that draws you into Truman's life and makes you want to stay.