3 out of 4 stars
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Strong Heart is a work of fiction by Charlie Sheldon, based in the Olympic National Park and the surrounding neighbourhood, with its numerous islands and surrounding sea. It is a legend fused with the tale of family and friendship, and the ensuing struggle to conserve the heritage of the Sol Duc tribe-and in essence that of humanity- and also establish this legend as fact.
The story starts out with two old friends- Tom and William- setting out to go camping in the park, accompanied by William’s daughter Myra. The trip is almost cancelled when Tom finds out he has a granddaughter he is unaware of, a troublesome and orphaned young girl named Sarah. However, William convinces his old friend to tag Sarah along, mostly because the trip is all about Sarah’s great-great grandfather, who is buried in the park.
It turns out the Olympic National Park holds more history than Sarah’s great-great grandfather: it is literally a place of magic, history and legend. Unbeknownst to them, it is Sarah who takes them for this trip, not them who take her. In a fateful turn of events, a series of incidents while at the park result in Sarah’s disappearance. A manhunt proves futile as she goes missing for over a week, in cold stormy weather and without food or shelter. Presumed to be dead by rescue teams, her fate seems to have been sealed deep in the park, alongside her great-great grandfather. To top that, the fate of the park is also at stake, as a mining company seeks to take over it. It is in light of this that Tom, William and Myra seek to find out if an item that had been found beside Sarah’s great-great grandfather when he died was an artefact, which would render the park an archaeological site and hence preserve it. The stakes are high and the tale takes a dramatic turn, with the legend that is this park coming to life to save itself, save the people fighting for this park and tell a story that was as yet unheard-of.
Starting out, I was skeptical about the book, especially when it became so much about complicated family relationships, the Sol Duc tribe and local politics. At the time, I thought it would appeal to historians and members of the Sol Duc tribe who like to reminisce over their folklore. However, it took a turn for the better when the story became more descriptive and became purely fictional, even for the characters themselves. The best part of the book has to be when Sarah goes missing and comes up with an unrealistic version of events, which turns out to have literal parallels with reality and that eventually proves to be what saves everyone on their last journey out of the park as well as validate the folklore the local tribe held so dear. Another downside was trying to keep up with the numerous characters in the story within the story, but that also became bearable as the story went on.
I would rate Strong Heart 3 out of 4 stars because the story within the story was a unique creative work that would appeal to mostly anyone who enjoys fiction, and not a higher rating as the book starts off with a certain drag to it that would require patience before a reader gains momentum and truly enjoys the tale within.
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Strong Heart
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