Skip to main content

About the Book

About the Book

The Spark and the Drive

By an award-winning writer of short fiction, a devastatingly powerful debut novel of hero-worship, first love and betrayal.

Justin Bailey is 17 when he arrives at the shop of legendary muscle car mechanic Nick Campbell. Anguished and out of place among the students at his rural Connecticut high school, Justin finds in Nick, his captivating wife Mary Ann, and their world of miraculous machines the sense of family he has struggled to find at home.

But when Nick and Mary Ann’s lives are struck by tragedy, Justin’s own world is upended. Suddenly Nick, once celebrated for his mechanical genius, has lost his touch. Mary Ann, once tender and compassionate to her husband, has turned distant. As Justin tries to prop up his suffering mentor, he finds himself drawn toward the man’s grieving wife. Torn apart by feelings of betrayal, Justin must choose between the man he admires more than his own father and the woman he loves.

A poignant and fiercely original debut, with moments of fast-paced suspense, THE SPARK AND THE DRIVE is the unforgettable story of a young man forced to make an impossible decision --- no matter the consequences.

The Spark and the Drive
by Wayne Harrison

  • Publication Date: December 8, 2015
  • Genres: Fiction
  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
  • ISBN-10: 1250076943
  • ISBN-13: 9781250076946