Heading Out to Wonderful - Softcover

"I love Robert Goolrick’s Heading Out to Wonderful. The novel’s seductive power and the beauty of his writing create a delicious feast." (Kathryn Stockett author of The Help)

"This is a beautiful story, told in the kind of sentences Edward Hopper might have written if he had been as good at writing as he was at painting. Darkly romantic, wholly evocative of its forties Virginia setting. He conjures up small town darkness wonderfully. Quite stunning. Read it now." (Matt Haig author of The Radleys)

"Robert Goolrick has a warm and easy way with words ... He’s crafted a wily novel about place as well as passion, and as you turn the last page, you’ll feel like you’re leaving a tiny piece of your heart in Brownsburg." (Daily Mail)

"Deliciously dark and dangerous" (O, The Oprah Magazine)

"Written with a beautiful sense of compassion Goolrick provides an excellent portrayal of the town’s inherent separation, tradition and frustration ... A novel of dreams versus reality, secrets and lies, this is a story of just how far someone can go when they are in love ... A terrific read with elements of both The Great Gatsby and Romeo and Juliet. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until its shocking finale." (Daily Express)

It is the summer of 1948 when a handsome, charismatic stranger, Charlie Beale, back from war in Europe, shows up in the sleepy town of Brownsburg, Virginia. All he has with him are two suitcases: one contains a fine set of butcher knives; the other is full of money. Charlie should have turned around and walked back the other way, for what follows – the most passionate and tragic story of a forbidden love affair – will threaten to destroy everything and everyone in its path.

Told through the eyes of Sam, a young boy in the town whose world is changed forever by the events of that single year, Heading Out to Wonderful is a suspenseful masterpiece, a haunting, heart-stopping novel of obsession and love gone terribly wrong in a place where once upon a time such things could happen.