3 out of 4 stars
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I only had to read a brief outline of Charlie Sheldon’s novel Strong Heart to know that this book would appeal to me - and it certainly did not disappoint. Essentially, it’s the story of a journey – or, you might say, several journeys. As well as travelling in the traditional sense, there are travels through time, shamanistic travels in the spirit, and a journey of self-discovery, but they all come to one in the end. That might seem enigmatic, but it’s going to be difficult to say more about the plot without giving away too many spoilers.
The core of the story involves a group of people trekking through the Olympic National Park which, for those of you who – like me – have never heard of it before, is in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Apart from any other virtues, the book really made me want to go there and see it for myself. One of the group, Tom, aims to visit his grandfather’s grave, and two Native American friends are going along to keep him company; they take with them Tom’s feisty young granddaughter, Sarah, whose existence was unknown to him until she landed up on his doorstep just a few hours before they were due to set out. In many ways, the book is Sarah’s story and she certainly develops into an engaging character; her companions are also strong and credible creations.
At first I found the writing style a little stilted, but I didn’t notice that once the story took off, which it did pretty quickly; taken overall, I think the book is well-written and it’s also professionally edited and presented. The tone and subject matter remind me a little of early work by Barbara Kingsolver (specifically, Pigs in Heaven). Furthermore, for me, the passages that go back into pre-history stand comparison with Golding’s The Inheritors. I mean, I know Golding is Great Literature and all, but I actually enjoyed this more. What’s terrific about these pre-history episodes – there are two, each several chapters in length – is the way the style changes to reflect the likely limitations on linguistic expression at that time.
One of the many things I liked about the book is the way that it doesn’t condescend to the reader: some of the conversations are complex and, occasionally, enigmatic, so you have to work to make sense of what is going on. It’s also intellectually quite rich, tackling, amongst other things, theories of migration relating to the question of how and when native peoples first began to populate North America.
I have to say, though, that I found the ending a bit of a let down. I appreciate that real life tends not to give us neat endings, but I just felt too many threads were left dangling. I gather that this book is planned as the first in a series, so it feels as though the lack of resolution is a bit of a ploy to make you want to read the next one. To be honest, even though I'm a bit annoyed by that, it still works - I will look forward to the second book - and probably the third, too.
All in all, I would give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I marked it down a bit because of the ending, but, If you’re a fan of this type of literature, it’s a great read.
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Strong Heart
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