Review: Beautiful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 21, 2012
Orange Petals in a Storm is the story of an eleven year old girl who has been mistreated by her stepfather since her mother's death one year ago. On an external level, it's a simple story about her life turning around, but it's the inner world that gives this story its magic.To handle the abuse,  the girl sits in an old chair--all that she has left of her mother--and withdraws into her mental `safe room'. There, she meets the human male version of the cat that saves her when she runs away and nearly freezes to death in a storm. With him--and sometimes an old woman--as her guide she travels the web of light that makes up the connections of the inner world. The confidence and wisdom she gains from her inner travels empowers her actions in the outer world.The inner experiences are too detailed and beautifully written for me to do them any justice in a description. It's better you simply read the story yourself.The book is expertly crafted, the prose beautiful and the characters well drawn. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in magical realism, metaphysical or visionary fiction.