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Bill Warrington, the central character in James King’s latest novel, is running out of time.

The stubborn ex-marine is suffering from the early stages of dementia, making the goal of reuniting with his three adult children — Marcy, Nick and Mike — seem as distant as his fading memories.

After several clumsy attempts at fence-mending, Bill decides the only way to get his feuding sons and daughter talking to each other again is to take drastic measures.

“When April,” Marcy’s daughter, “shows up one day asking Bill to teach her how to drive, that’s when he hatches this plan,” said King, who speaks on and signs copies of “Bill Warrington’s Last Chance” (Penguin) at Elm Street Books in New Canaan on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 6:30 p.m. “He thinks, maybe, the only way to get everyone together is to do something outrageous.”

So, he kidnaps his granddaughter.

What unfolds is a humorous, poignant, multi-generational tale about the power of reconciliation and redemption.

The story takes a turn for the dramatic (and hilarious) when April, whose quarrels with her overbearing mother have reached a feverish pitch, escapes to her grandfather’s house. She proves to be a more-than-willing abductee, and, unaware of her grandfather’s condition, hits the road with Bill in his vintage Impala.

But as Bill grows increasingly confused and begins rambling about April’s mother and uncles—revealing, finally, the secret that drove the family apart—April comes to realize that she must instead shepherd her grandfather to safety and bring about the reunion Bill so desperately seeks.

While the need for atonement is the driving force behind the narrative, King also stresses the importance of communication, or, as he put it, “Taking the time to talk things through.”

“If you don’t talk these things out, they can grow into huge misunderstandings and tragic results,” said King, who writes from the rotating perspective of all five characters. “Until you look at it from another point of view, you won’t understand the problem.”

So, the story turns out to be a race against time for the entire family, who must open up the lines of communication — and resolve their issues — before Bill’s condition becomes any worse.

The sixth of nine children, King grew up in Lakewood, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in American Studies. Nearly 30 years later, he returned to school and earned his master’s degree in writing from Manhattanville College—during which time he wrote the bulk of “Bill Warrington’s Last Chance.” It is his first published novel.