With the elements of a ‘road story’ this novella by David Elias reveals his particular craft for seamlessly grounding a compelling narrative in the authentic and off-putting details in lives of his characters, in this case, Henry and his troubled family. Elias takes on a broad scope in this darkly humorous take on Henry, a chess columnist who finds himself under attack by realities he would rather not think about. An alcoholic friend has died and his wife has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. When Henry’s family insists the situation calls for a road trip to Disneyland, he must learn adapt or parish in life beyond the chess board.