VIRGIN TERRITORY by James Lecesne

You've seen the reports on the news -- the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary appears on a grain elevator or on a grilled cheese sandwich.  Well, it has happened on a Florida golf course where Dylan Flack works as a caddy, and the whole thing is about to throw his life into a tailspin.

Dylan and his dad left New York City after his mother's death.  It wasn't his idea, but his dad thought it would be good to start over somewhere new.  Mr. Flack left his videographer job and now works as a landscaper perhaps in an effort to bury his problems instead of facing them.  Dylan is along for the ride and trying to make the best of it.

Named after Bob Dylan by his poet mother, Dylan has never been very close to his dad.  Now enough time has passed since his mother's death that he is disturbed to realize he is unable to remember her face.  The fact that his father left all the family photos behind in New York City hasn't helped their father/son relationship.  Dylan's job caddying at the golf course is about the only thing getting him through the summer.

When the figure of the Virgin Mary is discovered in the bark of one of the golf course's trees, everyone begins to descend on the sleepy little town of Jupiter, Florida.  That's when Dylan meets Angela.  She is one of several teens who arrive in town because their mothers are Virgin Mary groupies.  They follow what they call the BVM sightings like roadies following a rock band. 

The teens welcome Dylan into their group and use his knowledge of the local area to create interesting entertainment to while away the time until their parents move them to the next location.  Dylan is struck by Angela's beauty and drawn by her risk-taking behavior.  He has hopes that with her around the summer might offer more than attempting to please his father and helping old guys cart around their golf gear.  For him the appearance of the Virgin on the tree may be a "blessing" of another kind.

VIRGIN TERRITORY by James Lecesne is a quirky tale of one young man's struggle to face his mother's death and form some sort of bound with a father he doesn't really understand.  While many are struggling to "see" the Virgin in the tree bark, Dylan and his father are struggling to figure out what's next for them after losing the one connection that held everything together.