ARA Review by Cathy Derr of Strong Heart

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Cathy Derr
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Joined: 03 Apr 2021, 08:33
Currently Reading: Strong Heart
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ARA Review by Cathy Derr of Strong Heart

Post by Cathy Derr »

[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, Strong Heart.]
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2 out of 5 stars
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Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon begins as Sarah, a thirteen-year-old girl, appears in the middle of a heavy rain storm on the doorstep of her estranged grandfather Tom’s home just as Tom is preparing to go on a hike into Olympic National Park. Tom’s friend William and his daughter Myra are joining Tom on the planned excursion to his grandfather’s grave. As the story progresses, we soon learn that William and Myra are part of the Haida North American Indians from Haida Gwaii just off the coast of British Columbia. Reluctantly Tom, William, and Myrna decide to take Sarah with them to lands described as filled with magic, history, and legend.

On the surface the story structure is that of the masculine journey. Tom is going into the wilderness on a quest to his grandfather’s grave. This is a place where years before his grandfather died suddenly deep in the wilderness and Tom was forced to bury him. Tom is compelled to return to make peace with the spirits and his own memories. The journey structure shifts when Tom reaches the grave site well before the story’s ending. At this point the focus shifts to Sarah and another journey plot line comes into focus. The Buckhorn mining people emerge as the primary antagonist and a new goal is revealed.

The story structure issues in the story are complicated by POV problems throughout. The author uses a third person objective POV that shifts from character to character and then to omniscient at times. There is no clear protagonist. The lack of using a close third person POV leave the reader wondering who to attach to. Is this Tom’s story or William’s?

The story pacing was dragged down by too much narration and backstory. Key points of conflict and tension lost their power when bogged down with telling and not showing. The reader is told that Tom and Sarah never get along but never actually sees examples of their antagonism. Tom mentions William’s shamanic ways, but we never see real examples even thought there are multiple opportunities to bring in reverence of the dead, totem animals such as the short faced bear and Sarah’s experience of a shamanic journey.

Sarah’s character was not believable. At no time does she act like a typical thirteen-year-old in her actions, knowledge, or skill levels. At times she leads the group but she has no real hiking or camping experience. Her companions are Native American’s with knowledge of the area and its ever present risks. The other characters are stronger and more believable. I got a strong feeling of who Myra was and what she believed. Tom and William’s characters are fairly well fleshed out, however their relationship to each other is never clarified. The reader never is shown what kind of bond they share and why.

Due to the lack of story tension I never felt completely satisfied at the ending. The overpowering descriptions took over the plot.

The author’s educational background and experience bring a lot of color and potential to the story. The educational narration if done sparingly would add power and increased pacing. I would rate the book a 2 out of 5 stars. The story has promise but the POV and pacing problems were difficult to overlook.

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