The Young Balboas

About the Book

Can love withstand a separation of forty years? This suspenseful account of innocence lost provides a moving answer. Jim Wade’s thirty-year marriage dissolves because his wife blames him for being emotionally distant. He knows that she’s right; his heart belongs to a girl in a fairy tale. When a mysterious letter invites him to return to that magical environment, the memories come flooding back. The Panama Canal Zone of the 1950’s is a jungle paradise for a twelve-year-old boy, but there’s more than one serpent lurking in the grass. Jimmy’s best friend is Bobbi Bartlett, a tomboy who’s never had any romantic interest in boys until now.  In their adventures, the buddies cross paths with Randy, a sailor with an abiding hatred of women; Chaplain and Mrs. Martin, Christians concealing profane secrets; Lieutenant Douglas, a black policeman who encounters prejudice at every turn; Esperanza, a maid both beautiful and street-smart; and the powerful Ávila family, whose social standing belies their estranged relations. In the harrowing climax, Jimmy and Bobbi are pitted against a rapist and a wild rain forest river before circumstances tear them brutally apart. Can Jim Wade find the girl who stopped his heart so long ago? Can paradise lost become paradise regained?

About the Author