Three Truths and a Lie

by Graham E. Fuller

This is the compelling tale of Luke, a Korean adoptee who comes to an American family at age one and who gradually loses his life’s way—to die from crack cocaine at age 21. It is also a story of his adoptive father, a CIA officer, who offers an unsparing and vivid account of his own efforts—wise, misguided, passionate, naïve, creative, ultimately unsuccessful—to save his son. Luke is warm, likeable, funny, quick to win friends—and a skilled deceiver, able to impress others with a seeming maturity and urbanity. But the image he works to create for himself is increasingly belied by the darker realities of his life and the black hole he creates around his family. The tale chronicles a poignant and tumultuous quest to grasp the meaning of Luke’s life—and death—against a broad international backdrop from Afghanistan to Latin America. It explores the mysteries of adoption, identity, addiction—and grace.

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2012

About the author

Graham Fuller is an author and a political analyst. He has worked for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the National Intelligence Council, and Rand Corporation.

Reviews

[Kathy Dobronyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poignantly written telling the journey of a father and a son where drugs won in the end. Graham Fuller struggles to find the answers and fix the problem, but he is only human and Luke has his own destiny to follow. Sometimes the lessons of life are often told when it is over.

[Bev Blackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read, so candidly written I couldn't put it down.