Chasing Fireflies was written by Charles Martin and published by Thomas Nelson in 2008.You may purchase it at Amazon.com/Kindle. Visit the author on Amazon and Facebook.
On a stifling summer day, an old Chevy Impala ignored the warning signals and was annihilated by the oncoming train. What no one realized until much later was that the driver had paused just before entering the tracks and kicked a small boy out of the car. A small boy with broken glasses who is clutching a notebook with all his might . . . but who never speaks.
Chase Walker was one of the lucky ones. He was in foster care as a child, but he finally ended up with a family who loved him and cared for him. Now, as a journalist for the local paper, he’s moved on and put the past behind him.
But when he’s assigned the story of this young boy, painful, haunting questions about his own childhood begin to rise to the surface.
"Learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive—and as magical—as chasing fireflies on a summer night." There's a reason why this is a #1 best seller. A little boy is pushed out the door of a car moments before the driver commits suicide by train. The kid survives a tortured past and even after the dramatic deadly train crash, he heads on into an unknown future as an orphan and because of the monstrous abuse he endured in his earlier years, he's unable to talk; his only communication is through a sketch pad that he is never without. Chase Walker, a journalist, is assigned to the kids story and finds that he has some things in common with the youngster. He was a product of foster care as a kid but ends up with a family who loves him, but that family has troubles and soon, Chase is searching for answers for both himself and the kid who doesn't speak. Charles Martin has many novels in his stable of best sellers and after reading Chasing Fireflies, it's no wonder. His descriptions are as detailed as a beautiful painting and his characters evoke memories of the past and what it's like to be in the presence of someone who is eccentric, odd, but wonderfully placed in the world to make an sustaining impact in the lives that they touch; even with all their faults. The emotions in this one will stir you, and most likely you'll go on to the next novel written by this accomplished author. The story will stay with you a long time. Top shelf read.
I give Chasing Fireflies 5 stars out of 5 stars.