Review of Beyond the Higher Ground

[viablesales]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Beyond the Higher Ground" by Thomas A. Brigger.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Beyond the Higher Grounds by Thomas Brigger is a historical fiction about Tucker Mason, who hopes to start a new life after the death of his wife and lonely childhood. When he finally gets a job as a supervisor of a prison project in a remote area in West Virginia, this comes as an avenue to start a new life he has always longed for. However, Mason soon faces more obstacles when he realizes that drug dealers roam the area, and are very ruthless in their dealings. This makes his life even more difficult, and the hope of starting a new life begins to fade.

I like a lot of things in this book, especially how the author brings a lot of themes together. Loneliness, death, and drug smugglers are all themes used in the book to show how they contribute to Tucker Mason’s lack of happiness. There are also scenes, which not only look real, but also reflect what is known to be true about drug smugglers. Brigger observes that drug smugglers seek to kill each other, and this is evident when electrician from Knoxville is killed. The world of drug smuggling always has no excuses, or sympathizers, which makes the novel look so real.


There is nothing serious I dislike in this book, except for the minor errors. The author links various negative events like the death of Mason’s wife, and use them to show how they make the life of Tucker Mason very difficult. When he hopes that things would change, something comes up, which makes his life even more difficult.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars . There are a number of missing commas I have come across when reading the book, which points to poor editing. However, I could not give a lower raring because the book reflects what the society is all about in terms of daily challenges. I like the events throughout the book, and how they point to the suffering of Mason. I also like how the remote area in West Virginia is described by the author, especially with regard to how drug smugglers rule the region and are ruthless.

This book is good for storytellers and those who love fiction stories. It is very interesting to read about the sufferings that Tucker Mason goes through and relate them to daily challenges that people encounter. It is also interesting how Mason, despite all the struggles in life, nothing positive seems to come out of his struggles. Such stories would be very amazing for lovers of fiction stories.

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Beyond the Higher Ground
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