The Willow Switch

The Willow Switch continues the story of the Kikkert family that began with The Doll in McCallaway's Store. The story is told by young Joseph Lawson and takes place mostly on Joseph's great grandfather's farm, which his mother, Valerie, has inherited. Joseph clings to the memory of past summer vacations on the farm learning baseball and other things about life from his beloved Grandpa Joe. But with his grandfather now gone, Joseph's father, Karl, takes out the frustration of his failures by abusing both his wife and son. It is in what was once Joseph's favorite place to be with his grandfather that Karl introduces his son to the willow switch as a form of brutal punishment. Unknown to his mother, Joseph is taken to the tool shed and beaten severely for even the slightest infraction. When Valerie learns of this abuse, it becomes the last straw in a long series of events that have destroyed her marriage, and she files for divorce. Joseph remains bitter toward his mother, fighting against the love that she has always shown him. He is angry with her for putting up with her abusive husband for so long, and angry with himself for not being more like Mark Harrison, one of his peers at school. When his mother meets and falls in love with Jacob Kikkert, Joseph is not sure that he can welcome another man into his and his mother's life, even though he is delighted at the thought of Molly Kikkert, Jacob's spirited and wise-beyond-her-years daughter, becoming his kid sister. Valerie and Jacob's courtship becomes a three family affair as the Harrison family, led by its matriarch, Grandma Annabelle (Annabelle McNealy), becomes involved. After Jacob and Valerie are married, Joseph is sure his worst fears are about to be realized when his new stepfather gives him his knife and tells him to go cut a willow switch and meet him in the tool shed. He soon learns, however, that Jacob Kikkert has an entirely new purpose for this and the many other willow switches that follow as Joseph journeys through adolescence. (Word count - 58,639)