Family Tree: A Novel Spanning 17 Centuries
About this audiobook
Corey Alden knows his full family tree--a linage that stretches back 17 centuries--and he has the documents to prove it. Through DNA testing, however, he discovers a connection with someone he did not know existed--an entirely new branch of his family tree. And when his wife, Indira, an adoptee who believed she was an only child, gets her DNA tested, things get even more interesting.
Family Tree is a complex novel of history, mystery, and fantasy--as we move between past, present, and the mythical to bring the family line to life. Through it all, the Alden family line is entangled with major historical events from 400 AD onward.
The story begins on the European mainland, but moves quickly to Britain as Saxons battle Romans. The family line moves through British history until, fleeing religious persecution in Britain, the Alden ancestors arrive in the New World on the Mayflower. During the American Revolution, the line takes up residence in Canada and continues the Family Tree.
The Alden family line has a genealogical past, much like the history that many of our families have, with the exception that through it all they pass on enchanted acorns that grow into magical Oak trees. Do the humans plant and control the trees, or do the trees guide the family history? Or is the entire narrative in the hands of the ancient gods? These provocative questions drive forward the narrative about a seemingly ordinary family.
If you have ever wondered about your ancestry, or just love a first-rate story with engaging characters and situations, Family Tree is a must-read.
Beta Readers React
"Family Tree is historical, mystical, dramatic, humorous and moving. And it's all combined, from start to finish, in a manner most engaging."
"With mythical beginnings, Family Tree follows the stories of a family line that stretches back centuries touching on themes of family connection, bigotry, sexual preferences, health challenges, and love. It motivated me to ask myself the question, 'Does my connection to mankind and the earth encompasses more than DNA?'"
"With DNA testing, we have been given a new tool to make connections to those with whom we share a past. Sometimes it seems like magic. Take some of that magic, mix it with some serious genealogy, and you have a novel of history, mystery, fantasy and fun. Lima has a firm grip on the present, and has done the research to bring the past to life. His present day characters are people you will get to know, and like and will cheer for as they discover who they are in the grand scheme of life."
"Family Tree is a completely fresh idea about something as old as time. I hope somebody makes it a movie!"
"I love historical fiction, and Family Tree is now on my 'I love' list!"
"You might think a book that spans over a seventeen hundred years would lose its thread. But the structure of Family Tree keeps the book focused in the present, while the past builds up to that present!"
"Solid story. Great characters, including the goddess and the god."
About the author
Based in Toronto, Ontario, Paul Lima (paullima.com) is a retired writer and business-writing instructor. This is the third novel published under his name. He has also written a collection of short stories and a fourth novel published under a pseudonym. Paul is an independent, self-published author.
