Far Away - A Brief Introduction
Lemony Snicket meets Saved!
"Life isn't like the movies..."
A story of human suffering
Inspired by Job
For my friends,
Andrew Holter, 1984-2005
and Katherine Olson, 1983-2007
The Big Picture
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FAR AWAY is a story about human suffering and the questions (not necessarily answers) surrounding it, based in the world of a present-day, teenage parallel to the Book of Job. Most of the main characters are Christian, but the story can be meaningful for everyone. Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God, and we, just like our fellow humans of all faiths, encounter the same tough questions about suffering.
After my friend Andrew drowned while studying overseas, God put it on my heart to write this story, meant to explore issues of suffering and evil in our world. FAR AWAY doesn’t aim to “answer” theodicy, but rather suggest that we can persevere, even when our pain and suffering don’t make sense.
As in Job, the story proposes that God never truly abandons His people or creation, even if all appearances seem to the contrary (this is similar to Harold Kushner’s proposition that God stands with the victims). While not completely removing God from the picture, God in FAR AWAY is brought into the world only by means of the characters’ dialog; God does not make a personal appearance in the end as happens in Job.
Realistic Style
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FAR AWAY is meant to be a combination of the religious elements and messages of Saved! with the principle of a “series of unfortunate events” and circumstances from Lemony Snicket, reflected also in FAR AWAY’s Job heritage and parallel. Unlike these three stories, FAR AWAY aims to have authentic, wholly believable characters undergoing chains of realistic, plausible events, similar to the characters in Joan of Arcadia.
I place the story in a high school setting because of all the potential drama and suffering that can be found in the teen years: the stresses of high school, fitting in socially, college worries, life worries, strong and ubiquitous peer pressure, etc. Teenagerhood is also generally the time when individuals begin to question their faith in God, in others, and in themselves, the same key questions Job was forced to examine.
Some Issues to Confront the Characters
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Below are some of the hardest issues I faced, or saw others face, during my first year of college. Each was an integral part of both my internal struggles and growth that year, and each can be called upon to help provide a driving force to the story.