Women's Fiction Month: Space by Emily Sue Harvey

In Space, Emily Sue Harvey delivers us a deeply moving story of a family on the brink. Dan and Deede Stowe have worked for years, planning and saving for their idyllic retirement years. Just when they finally are about to realize their dream, their adult, recovering drug-addict daughter, Faith, moves back in with them and everything changes. Their “miracle child”, complete with druggie baggage, upsets the tranquil balance of the Stowe’s existence. Private romantic moments evaporate. Faith’s endless needs intrude hour by hour, devouring both their finances, their emotions, and most crucially, their space. In turn, Faith finds herself bereft of everything she cherished most, her health, her marriage, her child, her family, her reputation and, most of all, a space to call her own.

Amid chaotic challenges, all three battle to find peace with each other, a harmony that doggedly eludes them. For the sake of family solidarity, each is forced to sacrifice elemental components of self, until desperation turns them one against the other. Will love be enough to turn the tide? Is it strong enough to warm again hearts grown cold?

Space is a vivid, candid, and life-affirming story from a masterful storyteller of the heart.

Read an excerpt!

As we moved to the music, Dan whispered in my ear, scattering goosebumps all over me. “Just when I think it’s impossible to love you any more, you prove me wrong.”


“Mmm. I know what you mean,” I murmured.

A few moments later, he whispered, “How did I do it?”

“What?” I rubbed my cheek against his.

“How did I get you? The prettiest girl to come out of Brattsville, South Carolina?”

I looked into his eyes. “It was meant to be.”

“Destiny, huh?”

“Divine destiny.”

“You bet.”

He reached down and kissed me then. And a round of applause and whoops of delight rent the air.

That was when Dan’s cell phone vibrated against me as it jangled into Latin strains of Girl from Ipanema. “Yes?” Dan held it to his ear, straining to hear.

I watched him turn pale, then ashen.

“What?” I leaned close, fear gripping me. “What is it?”

“We’ll be right there.” He snapped his phone shut. “It’s Faith.”

I felt the blood leave my head. “W-what? Has something happened to her?” Oh God, no! Please.

He saw my panic, took my hand and squeezed reassurance. His eyes conveyed, everything will be all right. But I’d glimpsed the flash of fear a second before he covered it.

“She’s in the Greenville ICU. Let’s go.”

Priss was there in a heartbeat. “It’s Faith,” I told her as we moved through the crowd, her trailing anxiously along. “I don’t know the details yet.”

“Keep me informed, sis,” Priss called after us as we rushed out the door, leaving behind more stunned faces.

I asked Dan, “What’s wrong with Faith?”

“I didn’t want to say anything with the whole world listening. She’s unconscious.” He looked at me then, his eyes tortured as he swept me along with his long strides. “She’s ODed on drugs, honey. Our Faith is on drugs.”

“No,” I cried out, feeling my legs beneath me turn numb. I nearly stumbled.

Dan’s strong arm went around me and he propelled me to the car.

We didn’t know it in that moment. We glimpsed only through a cracked door into the immediate. But our perfect world, as we knew it, our togetherness-dream, was beginning to shatter into a million tiny pieces.
 
Read the reviews!
 
"Space is a realistic look at what life could be like with a person who is addicted to drugs and out of control. It shows the devastating effects that drug addiction has on families. It also shows us the everlasting love of family and God. Space is another good read from Emily Sue Harvey. If you like novels that are emotional and Christian based then Space may just be one you'd enjoy. I did!"
 
--Peeking Between the Pages
 
"Space takes you on the journey that Dan and Deede take to save their daughter. It's a wonderful story and a must read for anyone who believes in the power of faith."
 
--ToniWI, Amazon reviewer
 

PURCHASE SPACE AT AMAZON!

Emily Sue Harvey, author and speaker, writes to make a difference. Dozens of her upbeat stories and articles appear in Chocolate for Women, Chicken Soup for the Soul, women’s magazines, websites, and other anthologies.


She is the author of the novel Song of Renewal and Homefires and the novella Flavors. Her new novel, Space, will be followed by another novel (Unto these Hills) later in 2011.


To find out more about Emily visit www.renewalstories.com  or www.emilysueharvey.com.