Lewis Madigan went to work knowing it was going to be a very good day. But it turned out to be a very horrible day.

First off, Lewis was supposed to get a raise. Instead, he got a termination notice. And when he dragged himself home, all he wished for was that Tim, the man with whom he wanted to spend his whole life, would comfort and console him. Instead, he found Tim packing up, getting ready to move to the other side of the country --- without Lewis, but with all of their savings. Adding insult to injury, their neighbor, Chester Wheeler, was watching this whole scene play out. As Tim drove away, Chester began slinging homophobic barbs in Lewis’ direction. It’s hard to see how that day possibly could have been worse.

"SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER will change you in ways that you can’t imagine a book could. It has the power to make you feel, really feel. And I mean feel things you’ve never felt before."

The following days don’t get much better. Lewis is among a huge sea of unemployed job hunters. His bills are piling up, despite the generosity of his many good friends, and Tim cleaned out their bank account. And, of course, he still has Chester for a neighbor. Chester is an ornery old coot whom nobody can stand. He’s also sick, stuck in a wheelchair and in desperate need of home health care. None of that stops him from insulting everyone who’s sent to help out. It’s a miracle if he can keep a caretaker for more than a day. Finally, having run out of local options, his daughter Anna takes over, but only temporarily since she’s about to become a grandmother.

Lewis, being the person he is, does the neighborly thing and gets to know Anna a little. He quickly discovers that even she doesn’t like her father. Her grandchild’s arrival is imminent, and she is desperate. She begs Lewis to step in for just a week, so she can be with her daughter for the baby’s birth. Then she’ll find someone to permanently care for Chester, although it won’t be for long. You see, Chester is dying. He probably only has a few months left, if even that.

Lewis still hasn’t found employment and, honestly, can’t help but feel sympathy for Anna. Against his better judgment, he caves and agrees to take over. But just for a week. Anna assures him that all he really needs to do is hang out with Chester for about eight hours each day, make sure that the old man takes his meds, stays hydrated and eats, and be available in case of any nighttime emergencies.

As for Chester, despite knowing that Lewis is doing him a favor, he keeps up his string of nasty comments. He really is an unhappy human being. Lewis realizes this and tries to get him to understand why no one likes him. The attempt seems to fall on deaf ears. Well, Lewis can only do so much. A few short days into Anna’s absence, Chester drops a bombshell on Lewis. He’d like to see his ex-wife. It’s been 32 years, and he needs to clear up some stuff before he dies. The thing is, she lives in Arizona. Chester and Lewis are in New York.

Lewis gets paid the same amount whether he hangs around Buffalo and does the minimum job for the dying man, or goes the extra mile(s) and takes him to Arizona. But that’s the stickler: Chester is dying. And Lewis simply can’t say no to a dying man, even if that man is Chester Wheeler. So they embark on a cross-country trip in Chester’s Winnebago. And what a journey it is. Not really pleasant, not really horrible, but cathartic for both men. And, in truth, cathartic for the reader as well.

SO LONG, CHESTER WHEELER will change you in ways that you can’t imagine a book could. It has the power to make you feel, really feel. And I mean feel things you’ve never felt before. Chester and Lewis will have you looking at the world and the people in it in a whole new way. But mostly, Lewis will humble and awe you. He is a character whose honesty makes him a hero, unleashing a refreshing burst of emotions meant to touch everyone who encounters him on the pages. Once you read this story, there is no chance that you will ever forget it. It is a rare treasure that doesn’t come along often.