A man hiding a guilty secret that could destroy his life
A family engaged in an unsettling search for truth and forgiveness
A saga of four generations linked by ties stronger than blood
Zander Bennings’ writing has brought him a life-style his parents and grandparents could never have imagined. But when he is confronted with the cold reality that his success is built upon a lie, he is plunged into a desperate quest for something that will absolve him from his guilt.
Delving into his family’s past on the battlefields of World War One, in the industrial unrest of the 1920s and 30s, and in the easy but sometimes unfounded optimism of the 50s and 60s, he discovers that the men of his family have each been forced to embark on this same unsettling quest.
Faithfully tracing the ever-changing story of their lives and those of the women whose love and loyalty has held the family together, and honestly facing the unpalatable truth of his own life and actions, Zander learns the search is not in vain and that, while family ties can be broken, they can never be truly severed – even to the fourth generation.
To The Fourth Generation is a compelling narrative that recognises the reality of evil in the world, acknowledges the burden of guilt that we often carry, and affirms the truth that only forgiveness, gratefully accepted and freely offered, allows us to flourish and be free. In the words of the novel’s central character:
I see clearly the depth of the enigma that has been confronting me for so long,
the paradox that I cannot escape.
In this tragicomedy that is life on this planet, I am cast in a dual role.
I am both sinner in need of forgiveness and priest
who must offer that same forgiveness to everyone who seeks it from me.
To fail to play either of those parts is to be less than truly human.
To The Fourth Generation is the author’s fourth novel to be published by Instant Apostle following Rooks at Dusk, The Man Who Broke into St Peter’s, and The Mystery of Matthew Gold.
All author royalties from this book are being donated to charities working in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.
To The Fourth Generation (ISBN: 9781912726264) by Chick Yuill is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 18th September 2020 from Christian bookshops and online retailers. Fiction, paperback, 267pp, £9.99