Review: A beautifully executed story that is poignant yet hopeful
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2012
Barbara Taylor Sissel's novel The Ninth Step is an engrossing and thought-provoking novel about loss, forgiveness and making amends for past mistakes. With Cotton O'Dell's return, he and Livie Saunders are forced to confront their disastrous pasts as they struggle to rebuild their lives.Ms. Sissel masterfully develops her characters with realistic flaws and imperfections. Cotton and Livie carry the scars from their dysfunctional upbringings. Following Cotton's abandonment on their wedding day, Livie indulges in meaningless sexual encounters to comfort her and Cotton's search for solace from his horrible mistakes results in alcohol addiction. As the story progresses, Livie faces the consequences of her recent actions while Cotton's decisions set in motion a series of events that end with devestating results.Now a recovering alcoholic, Cotton is working the ninth step of AA-making amends to the people he has harmed. It is with this step that Cotton is faced with a moral dilemma. Can he make amends without causing further harm? Will confessing his crime right a wrong? Are there things that are impossible to forgive? Do we ask forgiveness to make ourselves feel better? Or do we seek forgiveness for the sake of the one who wronged us? Do we grant forgiveness for ourselves or for those who have hurt us? Ms. Sissel raises these various questions in an unbiased and thoughtful manner.Equally interesting is how the various characters deal with the emotional baggage of their childhoods. Some choose to walk away. Others seem to gloss over the worst of their pasts. A few remain hopeful that the past can be rectified in the present. Is it possible to leave a painful childhood unscathed? Are we doomed to repeat our parents' behavior and mistakes?Although the subject matter is serious, the overall tone of The Ninth Step is never heavy or angsty. The novel is contemplative and reflective with Barbara Taylor Sissel raising some soul-searching questions that do not always have clear cut answers. It is a beautifully executed story that is poignant yet hopeful as the characters come to terms with their tragic pasts.