A personal message from the author:
It all started some thirty years ago when I found myself walking through a neighborhood whose occupants had been displaced by an airport runway project. The houses, dilapidated and overtaken by weeds, had once been the dwelling place of people now long forgotten. I wondered who they were. In thinking about these individuals and families, I heard their voices and saw their children playing in the street at festive 4th of July gatherings. These images triggered a story, a fictional account, the history of the Baker family that is the foundation for my novel’s plot.
I hope the story will have you laughing, crying, and rooting for the Baker boys and that you’ll find the fictional town of Starling, USA, a fascinating place to spend time.
— David Viau
Chris Baker is struggling. He is struggling to be a good son, a good boyfriend, a good mechanic—struggling to lead an average life as a senior at Starling High.
When the construction of the second runway at the Jones County Airport threatens to displace him and his dying mother Kathryn, his older brother Jake appears out of the past with a dangerous and illegal solution. But Jake, recently medically discharged from the Marines and battling his own inner demons, has a mysterious agenda.
With the eviction imminent, and opposing forces more powerful than he could possibly imagine mounting against him, Chris has to make a decision that will change both his life and the lives of those around him forever.
Both heartbreaking and inspiring, Shadows Over Starling offers a multi-generational tale wrought with moral ambiguity that asks the reader: What would you do for love?