The Oakmont Project
[PLACEHOLDER NAME]
“Easily forgotten, but more easily ignored, the Oakmont Valley was a thin speck of land dotting the grand geography of California’s interior. From afar, from those open spots of farmland and suburban growth, the Valley was little more than a clump of trees risen until sun-scorched rocks jutted from between canopies, breaking free from their woody grasp. On many days, it was not even this. No, for on many days it was an amorphous shape veiled away by the smoke or the haze or the disregard many had for those things so very distant to them.”
Set roughly twenty years in the future, the novel tells the story of Samuel Ward, a farmhand in the rural, drought-stricken Oakmont Valley. Wildfire looms on the horizon, threatening to consume everything in its path, including the perfectly isolated life Sam has built for himself and his family.
Those living in newly built suburbs placed on old farmland no longer viable due to rising temperatures and severe drought flee north to safety. Sam and many of those living in the old town of Oakmont, however, decide to stay and weather the storm. In doing so, he is forced to confront many of the demons which have kept him firmly rooted in the aging town. From the mistrust he has for fellow townsfolk, who did little to stop his abusive father, an Iraqi War veteran, from physically abusing him as a child to his personal hatred of Ralph Lawson, the town drunk.
Sam, known for his indifference and otherwise belligerent nature, is driven by circumstance to work alongside his neighbors and build a self-sustaining society in a world ready to catch fire. All the while, Ralph, a man with a violent history of spousal abuse, reaches his breaking point soon after his son is born amidst the chaos of fire and uncertainty. Despite doing everything he can to prevent it, Sam’s path in life is bound to eventually collide with Ralph’s.
[OAKMONT PROJECT], at 110,000 words, is a story of redemption, of privilege, and of overcoming the tragedies of life.
PLEASE NOTE: The Oakmont Project is a Placeholder name, meaning it is NOT the final name for the novel. For more as to why, please click here . . .