Lord's Acre

Set in the bucolic town of Angie, Louisiana, The Lord's Acre tells the story of Eli Woodbine, a young boy who watches helplessly as his fundamentalist parents give in to their increasing sense of desperation and paranoia, living in a world where they can no longer see any hope or reason for existing.When the family is at their absolute lowest, they come across a local, charismatic church leader, in whom they quickly place all of their faith. Yet this man - known to them only as 'Father' - is unlike anyone they have ever encountered before. But one day, and with no explanation save for a mysterious gift given to Eli, Father disappears, leaving everything behind him in ruin.Eli and his parents attempt to pick up the pieces, however, as they try to find answers to their new predicament. But their efforts go awry when Eli breaks into an abandoned grocery store one night in order to steal food for his family. He is arrested and taken to jail, where, to his surprise, he is finally able to discover the hope he had always been so desperate to find.

"The Lord's Acre must be written by a poet. And as a poet myself, I mean this as the highest praise. Every sentence was masterfully crafted, filled with vivid imagery, and steeped with emotion and meaning. It's simply gorgeous. We follow the life of Eli and his parents through some difficult patches--homelessness, a troubled marriage, a questioning of faith--and just when things can't seem to get any worse, they meet a man who could be their savior, a charismatic preacher and healer known only as Father. Set in the landscape of rural Louisiana, this book was one I couldn't put down for both its art and its story" --Katherine Hoerth, author of Flare Stacks in Full Bloom and Goddess Wears Cowboy Boots , "Good characterizations and meticulous writing" --Ellen Rienstra, author of The Long Shadow: The Lutcher-Stark Lumber Dynasty , "Here's what David Armand can do--he can tell you a story filled with poetry and heartbreak and courage, all the while creating a southern landscape that wraps and holds its people like a loving arm of Mother Nature. And The Lord's Acre does all of that." --Michael Farris Smith, author of Blackwood, "Precise and vibrant prose--offers a heart-wrenching expose of rural poverty and willful ignorance--Eli's coming of age is as tragic as it is arresting--Armand offers a kaleidoscope of local color in a shade never seen before" --Adam Nemmers, author of American Modern(ist) Epic , "This story of a charismatic preacher and his flock is so perfectly described that I felt like I was in the pews and on the compound, watching a man who initially seemed like a saint transform into something far less angelic." --Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month

David Armand was born and raised in Louisiana. He has worked as a drywall hanger, a draftsman, and as a press operator in a flag printing factory. He is currently Writer-in-Residence at Southeastern Louisiana University, where he also serves as associate editor for Louisiana Literature Press. In 2010, he won the George Garrett Fiction Prize for his first novel, The Pugilist's Wife, and has since published two more novels, two poetry chapbooks, and a memoir.