Review: An unforgettable journey
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 23, 2012
This book reminds me of the reasons why I've come to appreciate and value greatly independent literature. The previous reviewers were right--this is one to make you cry, to make you feel, to make you think, and Lord have mercy, to make you laugh aloud. "You wanna be a woman?" Typical old school tough male response to a young man wanting to help out with domestic chores--even if his mother has passed away and he feels the need to help take care of his brothers. From the start the author's humour adds a nice touch to an otherwise stark reality of life--death. The characters in this story appear human and real, making it easy to identify with both characters and story--going back home, not only through the physical act but also through that ride down memory lane is one that many experience in reality. The plot here, having to deal with the death of one's father and the arrangements, and then going further than that, driving to Belair to scatter the deceased's ashes in the company of familial and romantic intimates, all make for an interesting, entertaining read. There are some sharply perceived situations which compel the reader to stop and think--like Dale hardly believing his six-feet over two hundred pounds father could be reduced to five or six pounds of ash. The conversations during the drive to Belair are heated and energetic--except when they devolve into heavy breathing. These fragments help to make this a compelling story. The central characters--Dale and his brothers (one with a drug problem) and Beth and Monica, past and present girlfriends, are nicely drawn.The fact of the latter two undergoing this journey no doubt imply fireworks and indeed there are many. How many things can go wrong on a simple road trip? Everything--including having to spend time in jail, for the MC Dale, twice. The resolution of his charges of battery and trafficking et al was nicely handled as was the surprise romantic attachment at the end. Great tying up of plot precepts with the crew scattering the deceased's ashes, and the brothers having worked through their issues to find a new definition of happiness. An engrossing, impressive piece of entertaining, sometimes dramatic literature, occasionally sentimental, occasionally hilarious, reflecting deeply human tendencies in the resolution of familial and other life issues.