OVER YONDER
It’s never too late to find your purpose.
Woody Barker steps out of prison planning to live out his years on his houseboat docked on the Alabama Gulf Coast. As a defrocked priest with a heart condition and an ex-wife who still runs his life, he needs peace and a path to redemption.
Caroline Boyer is seventeen, pregnant, and stuck in a loop of bad choices. At her mother’s deathbed, Caroline finds herself at the center of an unexpected plot that has the potential to turn her world upside down. At the funeral, she discovers a father she’s never known .
It’s never too late to find your purpose.
Woody Barker steps out of prison planning to live out his years on his houseboat docked on the Alabama Gulf Coast. As a defrocked priest with a heart condition and an ex-wife who still runs his life, he needs peace and a path to redemption.
Caroline Boyer is seventeen, pregnant, and stuck in a loop of bad choices. At her mother’s deathbed, Caroline finds herself at the center of an unexpected plot that has the potential to turn her world upside down. At the funeral, she discovers a father she’s never known . . . Whether she likes it or not, her life will never be the same.
Soon Woody, Caroline, and an emotional support goldfish named Gary are on a grand adventure through the Deep South. Chased by the men who are desperate to learn what Caroline’s mother told her before she passed away, they use every skill they have as a new family to stay one step ahead of danger. To make it worse, former parishioners of the church that cast Woody out are determined to throw him a welcome home party. As Caroline and Woody look for answers and try to avoid disaster, they also learn how to redefine family, hope, and faith they thought they’d lost.
With dry humor and compassion, beloved writer Sean Dietrich highlights the good of humanity and the light that’s always just around the corner.
- Thomas Nelson
- Paperback
- October 2025
- 384 Pages
- 9781400235674
Buy the Book
$18.99
About Sean Dietrich
Sean Dietrich is a columnist, humorist, multi-instrumentalist, and stand-up storyteller known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared on The Today Show and in Newsweek, Southern Living, Garden and Gun, and Reader’s Digest. His column appears weekly in newspapers throughout the US. He has authored eighteen books and over four thousand columns. He tours his one-man show throughout the US, makes appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, hosts the Sean of the South podcast, and he’s a really nice guy.
Praise
“When Sean appeared at the (Grand Ole) Opry a second time, he followed Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson . . . I encouraged Bill to stand side stage and watch Sean do his thing–tell tales of the South and tie them together with old-time favorites . . . In many ways, I’d describe Sean’s latest work the way I described Sean’s on-stage persona to Mr. Anderson that night. It goes without saying we’ll be entertained. More specifically, we’re introduced to characters we won’t soon forget, we’ll all likely both chuckle and tear up, and we could very well reflect on the purpose of our lives. I am convinced Mr. Dietrich has found his, both on the Opry airwaves and by sharing his written words, not the least of which are those in Over Yonder.” —Dan Rogers, Executive Producer, Grand Ole Opry
“A heart-pumping and heartwarming story of redemption–with car chases. This book was a sweet, sad ride, which is my favorite kind.” —Elizabeth Passarella, author of Good Apple and It Was An Ugly Couch Anyway
“Over Yonder is a story of deeply complicated people having a deeply human experience. It’s a love story for the tender-hearted, full of unexpected grace. Sean Dietrich brings to life a cast of Southern characters searching for meaning–and finding it in the most unlikely places. I hugged every single page.” —Laura Kate Whitney, Editor at Large, Good Grit Magazine
Discussion Questions
1. How does Woody’s accident impact all of his relationships?
2. Did you think Elizabeth’s response to learning about Caroline was realistic? Would you have responded differently?
3. What role did religion and faith play throughout the novel, positively and negatively?
4. Peter was a vicious criminal, but did you find him likeable at all? Why or why not?
5. How does the author’s use of multiple points of view add or detract from the impact of the story? If you had to chose one character’s story to reflect the events, which one would you chose and why?
6. What do you think it felt like for Woody to conduct the last rites for Melinda? To hear them conducted later by Caroline?
7. Were you rooting for Tater to turn his life around, or do you think he had done too much damage?
8. What did Gary the goldfish provide Caroline?
9. Who was your favorite character and why?
10. “Woody believed that every person was given one adventure in their lifetime.” Do you think this is true? Have you had a significant adventure in your life, one that “makes you more human than you ever thought you could be”?
11. Amos and Woody had a complicated relationship, but how did their love and affection for one another reveal itself throughout the novel?
12. Were you satisfied with the ending of the novel? With how Caroline ended up using the Confederate treasure? Her marriage to Rumack? If not, how would you have concluded the novel?