Everything That Came Before Grace
Everything That Came Before Grace
A single-father comes of age as he discovers whether it’s love or fatherhood that could save him. Haunted by his mother’s death and a series of serendipitous events from his past, Benjamin Bradford desperately tries to keep his mental illness under control while raising his daughter Sophia. Set against the iconic streets of Los Angeles, there’s music always playing, heavy therapy sessions and private emails to discern, shattered friendships and betrayal, and the specter of a true love that got away. Think: Silver Linings Playbook meets High Fidelity with a dash of Eighth Grade. Can Benjamin find redemption? Can he escape his demons and find love again? Come along for the ride and find out.
As a music adherent with an underlying mental illness, writer Benjamin Bradford shares his challenges, his loves (Anna and Sophie), and his questionable motivations in the novel Everything that Came Before Grace. Readers can’t help but connect with Benjamin as he falls in love, falls into fatherhood, and is essentially forced into adulthood accompanied by musical undertones which help him express otherwise suppressed emotions for benefit of momentary appeasements.
Benjamin Bradford is a single father, doing his best to raise his daughter, Sofia. He feels he has to be a perfect parent to prevent Sofia's grandparents from taking her away from him. This is made more difficult by keeping his mental illness hidden from everyone but his therapist. When the woman he considers the love of his life comes back into the picture, things get even more complicated, particularly as she is marrying his best friend.