Winner of the North Street Book Prize for Literary Fiction

In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where logging and mining shape a rugged and unforgiving world, twelve-year-old Leif struggles to live up to his father’s ideal of manhood—until a peculiar chainsaw accident forces him to confront a painful truth.

With vivid, atmospheric prose and a haunting sense of place reminiscent of Jack London's survival story "To Build a Fire" or Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, The Faller explores grief, the fragility of connection, and the resilience needed to break free from one’s past.

“Michael Demaray's novella The Faller is a stark but redemptive coming-of-age story….When he loses his parents within the space of a year,…12-year-old Leif must discover how a man loves and grieves without destroying himself.”
—Winning Writers

About the Author

Michael Demaray has written a novella and several short stories which examine the depths of the human experience. His first published novella, The Faller, is a poignant coming-of-age tale that explores the weight of family secrets, the complexity of grief, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Raised in the rugged landscapes of Northern Michigan, Michael was brought up with a deep respect for the natural world and a curiosity about life's deeper questions. His eclectic journey includes time as a pulp wood peeler, a semi-pro football player, a stonemason, a pharmacy manager, a sheetrock hanger, and a cemetery groundskeeper. These varied roles have shaped his unique perspective and enriched his writing with authenticity and depth.

Michael has a BFA from Brockport State University and an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Working as a skilled medical illustrator for over 30 years, he lives in Philadelphia with his wife and their rescue dog.

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