Review: life in a small town
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2012
I was about 20 pages from the end and I reflected that this was a 4 star book. Surprising to me because Ms. Pruitt's book are 5 star all the way. But then the last 20 pages pulled the rug out and left me dizzy, gasping and disoriented. What a great book and what a great writer. L.M. Pruitt's books are anything but formulaic or contrived. Characters' voices, more importantly the narrative voice is so authentic you would swear that you are witnessing the actual events unfold before you ala unscripted "reality TV" (is there such a thing?). She captures it all in such a manner that you too feel the longing, the heartbreak, the laughter and the yearning right beside each character. Because you are so mesmerized by the characters (Cari, Mike, Jamie et al)the twists and turns in the plot are even more unexpected. I found this story to an intimate family study of pack. Cari, the heroine is not a wolf, is unsurprisingly an anti-heroine and not a harmonious extension of the pack. Because she is not a shifter but rather a healer she is poised to be more effective being on the outside of pack mindset. She should be able to solve problems from another perspective. Despite the advantages of her abilities and position this relationship with her neighbors and loved ones is not meant to be as too many events and tragedies have damaged her bonds of trust and love. Cari and Mike's heartbreak is everyone's heartbreak. But as the members of the pack reveal layers of their stories we soon realize that every man, woman and wolf have experienced damage, none fully healed and inevitably accepted as the difficult process of living. I want to read the next story today. I need to know what happens for all of these physically and emotionally damaged people. Great writing Ms. Pruitt.