James H. Lehman

Ties That Bind James H. Lehman

Storyteller Jim Lehman creates a tale that transcends genre, weaving a web of relationships that draw you in and make you care. The story begins with the life and struggles of two men in their sixties, offering a picture of male identity and friendship and asking the question what is the proper place of money. It quietly expands into a tale of characters taking risks and venturing into new territory. There are people of faith who defy the religious stereotypes of our polarized society: a liberal who sees Jesus, a cheerful agnostic, a painfully lapsed Catholic, and a monosyllabic ninety-year-old farmer with little education and a wise glint in his eye. All this is spiced by a late-in-life romance between people in their fifties and sixties and given dramatic edge when a pastor gets into trouble for performing a civil union service for a lesbian couple, triggering conflict, and a surprising climax. This is a story about people living in community with one another, ordinary people who do extraordinary things, characters who will intrigue you and make you glad you spent time with them.