The Practical Navigator: A Novel

Michael Hodge has been many things in life. A surfer. A husband. A father. A son. A business owner. A lover. Abandoned.

Ever since Michael’s wife, Anita, ran off leaving him to raise their child on his own, he has been struggling to pick up the pieces. And after seven years, he’s finally starting to put his life back together. He has given up his dream of surfing and now manages his own construction business, he works hard to be the best father possible to his autistic son, and he’s falling for a new woman. But when Anita returns to town unannounced wanting to be a part of their lives again, and his mother begins showing early signs of Alzheimer’s, Michael’s carefully reconstructed world begins to fall apart. Now, Michael must decide whether or not to give Anita a second chance or to protect his son, and himself, from being hurt yet again.

With pitch perfect emotion and a beautiful portrayal of the relationship between a father and son, Stephen Metcalfe has drawn a rich and layered portrait of what it means to be a family and what it means to be truly loved.