Jesse transplants his corporate wife, Rebecca, and adolescent son, Travis, from Houston to the mythic Big Bend of Texas in hopes of salvaging his marriage and clearing the decks to write his next epic novel. Rebecca throws herself into a challenging remodel of the family home outside of Alpine, Texas, with the same ambitious drive she used to build her venture capital firm. Having a hard time forgetting Jesse's infidelity and boozing, she expects nothing less than a full return on her biggest investment-Jesse's career. Jesse, however, shirks his novel in favor of coaching Travis's Little League baseball team, which consists mostly of alienated, fatherless boys. The obsessive commitment he makes to any project leads to conflict with parents, rival coaches, and most every cowboy he encounters. His attempts to acclimate to West Texas yield mixed and often comic results as his turbulent personality clashes with the cantankerous, wind-blown eccentrics rooted to the stark, desert mountains. Then he meets his match in the Little League commissioner, the fiery, free-spirited artist and gallery owner, Luz Reyes. Meanwhile, his novel has stalled out, and Rebecca is running out of patience. Haunted by a family curse-the howling black dog that once preyed upon his ruined father-Jesse soon stumbles back into self-destructive patterns. His personal life crumbles, plunging him headlong toward devastating tragedy and loss in the all-or-nothing battle for redemption in a wild and harsh landscape where the mountains are thieves. is a heartbreaking yet heartwarming Texas tale of redemption, a worthy successor to Larry McMurtry's and a perfect next-read for fans of Fredrik Backman, Richard Russo, and Michael Chabon.