Jan M Walton

River Avenue Jan M Walton

Is a man the sum of what comes his way, or does he make his own way and shape what comes?




In a 1930s hardscrabble Pennsylvania coal mining town, sixteen-year-old Dan struggles to hold life together for his five siblings when their troubled mother collapses after the death of her youngest son. Then she is gone, leaving Dan to confront their tyrant father about the devastating secrets that tore his parents apart. Older Dan reflects on the life-altering choices he made, and the man he became to save his family.




River Avenue is a story of finding your strength when betrayed by those you love. Themes of resilience and moral choice intersect with the impacts of family trauma disrupting the beliefs we hold about relationships among brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents.