Daisy Chain: An Achingly Beautiful Story of Guilt, Redemption, and Hope

Mary DeMuth, an acclaimed author and advocate who has been featured in Christianity Today, CNN, and The Washington Post, brings a uniquely empathetic voice to her storytelling. In Daisy Chain, DeMuth draws on her understanding of brokenness and redemption to craft an achingly beautiful coming-of-age story that delves into human frailty and God's surprising redemption. The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance from a small Texas town in 1973 spins three lives out of control--Jed, whose guilt over not protecting his friend Daisy strangles him; Emory Chance, who blames her own choices for her daughter's demise; and Ouisie Pepper, who is plagued by headaches while pierced by the shattered pieces of a family in crisis. In this first book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper has a sickening secret: He's convinced it's his fault his best friend Daisy went missing. Jed's pain sends him on a quest for answers to mysteries woven through the fabric of his own life and the lives of the families of Defiance, Texas. When he finally confronts the terrible truths he's been denying all his life, Jed must choose between rebellion and love, anger and freedom. Daisy Chain is "a coming-of-age novel in the classic Southern gothic tradition," praised for its "complex relationships, skilled prose, and depiction of God's redemption in difficult times" (Library Journal). Perfect for fans of The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, this haunting yet hopeful novel invites readers to wrestle with life's hardest questions while discovering the beauty of grace. Step into the world of Defiance, Texas, where secrets fester, redemption waits, and every choice carries the weight of eternity. Start Daisy Chain today and experience a story that will linger in your heart long after the last page.