It's Simple: Read This Book!
A caveat: I am not the target demographic for this book. I am a middle-aged male who happened upon it via recommendation, and am I glad I did. What could at first blush (if one is inattentive; I've been accused of that) be a simple romance novel is in fact a complex, deeply layered and intensely felt dramatic story. The protagonist, a young Native American woman, lives in a place between two worlds. While a devout Christian, she comes from a cultural background rich with metaphysical manifestations and rituals. Add to this that prior to her complete conversion she lived with the equivalent of a playboy shaman and you have one complex girl. She is now heading to her home territories (it not her literal home) to pursue a ministry within the tribe. But the pastor is an old flame, and one which will kindle anew. Throughout she is metaphorically haunted by her past, and quite literally haunted by the forces of her tribal past.<br /><br />This is a story that could quickly sink into fantasy or gimmickry. The author allows neither. She quite skillfully blends the supernatural events with real life situations until we do not know where reality ends and magic begins. This is consistent through the book. These potentially sticky themes are handled with a delicacy and grace rarely found. Even at the end, we are not quite sure where this line is drawn, and that is a good thing. A bit of creative ambiguity nourishes the mind and primes us for the next installment... something I look forward to. I just have to make sure to keep this book tucked under a copy of Popular Mechanics to keep my (probably imagined) macho image alive.<br /><br />A tip of the hat to KB Schaller!
Rating: 5 stars