Two boys-a Brooklyn Jew and a Mid-western farmer-each possessing no more than a stereotype regarding one another when they meet, find themselves randomly thrust together in their first weeks of college life. As each seeks to understand what it means to grow up, they find a connection so strong, that neither religion, nor upbringing, nor the prejudices formed by their disparate childhood experiences, can get in the way of their growing friendship. For they find that they share a common humanity, a zest for life and a love of baseball, strong enough to overcome all obstacles. In so doing they build a trust for one another so powerful, it can weather not only the toughest of times but the secrets they ultimately share. That Which Brings Us Together is a saga of two families lives, whose roots date back for generations starting in the 19th century. It is a tale of a decades-long friendship, whose characters share life's great triumphs as well as its deep, dark challenges. It is a friendship, which only ends with an untimely death. And along the way, we come face to face with the existential question of, how do you find the strength to carry on, when you think that all hope is lost-when all of life's forces have mounted the perfect storm against you? It is a window into life's journey-the one that we are all on together and the one that we eventually must face all alone. Living in an age where society is more and more fractured by its perceived divisions, the question is posed-would the world be a better place, if we are willing to open ourselves up to those who seem so different from us? Innocent, heart-warming, sad, often wise, and occasionally surprising, That Which Brings Us Together will leave readers longing for a different time-or committed more than ever, to getting to really know their fellow human beings.

Bob Franklin is a Melbourne-based stand-up comic, writer, actor and director, known for his work on Thank God You're Here, The Librarians, BoyTown and Please Like Me. His first collection of short stories, Under Stones won the 2010 Australian Shadows Award for Fiction. Lengthening Shadows is his third book.