What Blooms from Dust - by James Markert (Paperback)

About the Book

Jeremiah Goodbye finally gets a break. Scheduled for execution, he escapes when a tornado destroys the prison. Now he's on his way to his hometown of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle a score with his twin brother. As Dust Bowl storms rage, Jeremiah tries to save the townspeople. Will he succeed and free himself from guilt?

Book Synopsis

"The closer he got, the brighter that red became. It was a rose--a rose that had no earthly business growing there, right in the middle of all that dust."

Just as Jeremiah Goodbye is set to meet his fate in the electric chair, he is given a second chance at life. With the flip of a coin, he decides to return to his home town of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle the score with his twin brother Josiah. But upon his escape, he enters a world he doesn't recognize--one that has been overtaken by the Dust Bowl. And the gift he once relied on to guide him is as unrecognizable as the path back to Nowhere.

On his journey home, he accidentally rescues a young boy, and the pair arrive at their destination where they are greeted by darkened skies and fearful townspeople who have finally begun to let the past few years of hardship bury them under the weight of all that dust. Unlikely heroes, Jeremiah and his new companion, Peter Cotton, try to protect the residents of Nowhere from themselves, but Jeremiah must face his nightmares and free himself from the guilt of his past and the secrets that destroyed his family.

Filled with mystery and magic, this exquisite novel from award-winning author James Markert is a story of finding hope in the midst of darkness and discovering the beauty of unexpected kindness.

Review Quotes

'What Blooms From Dust is thought provoking, entertaining and ultimately satisfying. . . those who read this book will appreciate Markert's knack for storytelling, his fleshed out characters, and his ability to make you think.'--Southern Literary Review

'Historical fiction at its finest that makes the reader want to learn more about the time and the people who lived there, and those who left.'--Booklist, STARRED review

'In this enchanting allegory, Markert (All Things Bright and Strange) crafts an imaginative tale of the Dust Bowl . . . Markert creatively portrays the timeless battle between good and evil, making for a powerful story of hope and redemption.'--Publishers Weekly