Spite the Devil

Simple life in small-town America collides with the cultural realities of the 1980s in Spite the Devil a novel of conflict and hope. Elinor and her husband Dan a Lutheran minister confront racism and religious uncertainty as they deal with the changes that life brings to their faith. Does tragedy destroy faith? Is bitterness inevitable? Their comfortable existence explodes when the turmoil of modern American life invades Evittsburg and forces them to face new and painful truths. Racial tensions strain relationships to the breaking point and religious differences threaten to tear families apart. Elinors whimsical perspective cushions misfortune until she faces the one blow that even humor cannot soften. Daughters Grace and Joy pursue their own paths coloring their parents lives with laughter and discord. Graces interracial marriage to Doug creates disturbing tensions which involve Dougs enigmatic father Robey and their teenage son Gil Golden Gil who dances across the pages with wit and a worrisome innocence. With insight humor and compassion McDaniel builds genuine suspense to a shattering climax and then finds a certain peace in the conviction that death is not the end.