4 out of 4 stars
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In the book A Tough Journey by Evelyn Cole, Bernie Perkins is the editor-in-training for his fathers' weekly newspaper in the haven of Huntington Beach, California. He and his wife Judy live with their four-year-old son in a wonderful cul-de-sac in which everyone knows one another, and cares about their happenings. A tragedy early in the book changes the trajectory of how Bernie lives his life, with the only constant being his neighbors. This story is full of grief, anger, love, and mystery as Bernie struggles to find himself during the year after he loses everything close to him.
This book is classified as "other," which I would agree with, but it is also so much more. There are multiple romances, a series of violent murders, and an enthralling mystery that involves Bernie Perkin's neighborhood in Huntington Beach. Initially, the book appears to be a story about the tumultuous relationship between him and his father, who is also his boss, but it becomes so much more. There are many sub-storylines throughout this book, which ends as a romance. This sounds baffling, but instead, it makes the book engaging to its core.
The story was initially hard to follow, but it smoothed out by the book's middle. While being roughly four hundred pages, the development of the characters and different events happening is incredible. I love how the main character was a sort of flawed protagonist, with his confused ideas about monogamous committed relationships and warranted hatred towards many others in the book. There was quite a bit of medical terminology in the novel in regards to mental health, which I enjoyed learning.
The author personifies the characters wonderfully, especially the main character. This novel takes place between Bernie's thirty-first and thirty-second birthday, and the amount of growth and heartache he has experienced really helped me connect with him. There is quite a bit of sexual imagery, along with graphic violence to both humans and animals, so maturity must be had to enjoy this book. I found myself reading about Bernie making a willing mistake, and forgetting that he was not real. It was a such a good book to get lost in for a few afternoons.
I give A Tough Journey by Evelyn Cole 4 out of 4 stars, for its excellent writing flow, wonderful development of characters, and realistic imagery provided. I recommend this novel for a mature reader looking for a realistic character living everyday life and facing terrible circumstances with terrific consequences.
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A Tough Journey
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