Life, and Death, and Giants: A Novel

A young Amish woman, attended by the country veterinarian, delivers a baby that's eighteen pounds and twenty-seven inches long, and no one in Lakota, Wisconsin, knows what to make of the boy. Raised by his brother in rural poverty, Gabriel Fisher walks at eight months, communicates with animals, and possesses extraordinary athletic abilities. When his older brother dies by suicide, Gabriel is taken in by devout Amish grandparents, who hide him away from the English world. At age seventeen, and nearly eight feet tall, Gabriel is spotted working in a hay field by the local football coach, and his life changes.

In Life, and Death, and Giants, Gabriel’s unique story is told by those whose lives are transformed by Doc Kennedy, the veterinarian who delivers him and becomes his mentor; Hannah Fisher, Gabriel's Amish grandmother, haunted by her daughter’s death and troubled by deep gaps in her faith; Billy Walton, the salty bar owner and bridge between the Amish and English communities in Lakota; and Trey Beathard, the football coach, who tries to mentor Gabriel as his fame spreads throughout the world.

Threaded with the poems of Emily Dickinson, Life, and Death, and Giants weaves together an unforgettable story of faith, family, buried secrets, and everyday miracles.