Review: An Unexpected Treat
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 11, 2014
A good old reflecting on life book is always fun to find, particularly when it is written by someone who does their research, both in terms of their setting, dialects, and cultural traditions. More importantly, it is nice to see an author do their research on the human spirit as well, and present a very human approach to an increasingly common problem. The burn out of modern that millions of people across the world have recently felt is encapsulated int this novel. While, in my opinion, the book was generally directed towards female readers, I was still able to appreciate the sentiment and the struggle of finding yourself at a crossroads with no clear direction in mind. I think that Roni Dugan is an "everywoman" in the sense that she is confident in herself, but realizes that there is still so much more to learn once the facade or framework of a life is peeled back. That can be true of all of us, but placing the character in a location that is both completely foreign yet nostalgically significant makes for very interesting moments and profound realizations.The basic foils (a horse and a simple dock master) accentuate her plight and journey without distracting the reader from the crucial growth and plot development that is occurring. I think Loomis knew precisely the kind of book she intended to write and then did it. I was impressed, and would very much like to read more of her work in the future. We could all use a reminder of how valuable soul-searching can be, and this book certainly did just that.