Review of Beyond the Higher Ground
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Fazla Alahi
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- Latest Review: Beyond the Higher Ground by Thomas A. Brigger
Review of Beyond the Higher Ground
[Following is a volunteer review of "Beyond the Higher Ground" by Thomas A. Brigger.]
I should start by mentioning that Beyond the Higher Ground was not a light read for me; rather, it required all of my attention. Thomas A. brigger used an intricate style of writing which includes very long sentences with heavy words, Though the theme of the story is much simpler.
After losing his wife, Tucker Mason has been sent to a remote area of Virginia to supervise a prison construction site. Most of his co-workers find suitable accommodation in a nearby town, but Tucker decides to stay close to the site in the isolated area of Bright’s Mountain. He makes friends with his co-workers and locals, but not everyone is friendly. Soon he finds that he is not welcome to stay there, someone wants him out of there, and he faces a lot of harassment to leave the place. Tuck does not understand who is behind all these and why. In order to find the answers, he attempts active investigations and eventually discovers the dark side and the real problems of the beautiful Appalachians.
Despite its tough language and narration style, the book sounded very realistic. The characters of the mountain people and the outsiders were skillfully contrasted by the author. Also, the heroic nature of the protagonist is very admirable, especially his loving approach toward a drug addict woman, and how he risks his life to help the locals badly affected by ongoing methamphetamine production. The real struggle and the agony of the locals are beautifully portrayed. The book also shows that one person's concern and contribution can make a huge difference in a community.
A heroic tale is told in Beyond the Higher Ground, but it only begins toward the end of the book. Almost nothing happens in the majority of the book's initial section except going back and forth in Tucker's past and present life, It was over-detailed and very hard to get into. I wish the main plot started a little earlier. Readers may lose interest in reading till it gets to the real action. Also, the unnecessary usage of heavy words and long sentences was only obstructive to the flow of the story.
Honestly, I wanted to love the book because of its theme. But it seems the author attempted to illustrate so many things from a variety of perspectives, but none of the topics received adequate attention. However, for its honest effort to depict a contemporary problem of a beautiful place and the overall drug issues in our society, I rate this book Three out of four stars.
To those who enjoy comprehensive storytelling, I'd suggest Beyond the Higher Ground. The book constructs a mature topic, if you like strong character build-ups you might love the book.
******
Beyond the Higher Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I should start by mentioning that Beyond the Higher Ground was not a light read for me; rather, it required all of my attention. Thomas A. brigger used an intricate style of writing which includes very long sentences with heavy words, Though the theme of the story is much simpler.
After losing his wife, Tucker Mason has been sent to a remote area of Virginia to supervise a prison construction site. Most of his co-workers find suitable accommodation in a nearby town, but Tucker decides to stay close to the site in the isolated area of Bright’s Mountain. He makes friends with his co-workers and locals, but not everyone is friendly. Soon he finds that he is not welcome to stay there, someone wants him out of there, and he faces a lot of harassment to leave the place. Tuck does not understand who is behind all these and why. In order to find the answers, he attempts active investigations and eventually discovers the dark side and the real problems of the beautiful Appalachians.
Despite its tough language and narration style, the book sounded very realistic. The characters of the mountain people and the outsiders were skillfully contrasted by the author. Also, the heroic nature of the protagonist is very admirable, especially his loving approach toward a drug addict woman, and how he risks his life to help the locals badly affected by ongoing methamphetamine production. The real struggle and the agony of the locals are beautifully portrayed. The book also shows that one person's concern and contribution can make a huge difference in a community.
A heroic tale is told in Beyond the Higher Ground, but it only begins toward the end of the book. Almost nothing happens in the majority of the book's initial section except going back and forth in Tucker's past and present life, It was over-detailed and very hard to get into. I wish the main plot started a little earlier. Readers may lose interest in reading till it gets to the real action. Also, the unnecessary usage of heavy words and long sentences was only obstructive to the flow of the story.
Honestly, I wanted to love the book because of its theme. But it seems the author attempted to illustrate so many things from a variety of perspectives, but none of the topics received adequate attention. However, for its honest effort to depict a contemporary problem of a beautiful place and the overall drug issues in our society, I rate this book Three out of four stars.
To those who enjoy comprehensive storytelling, I'd suggest Beyond the Higher Ground. The book constructs a mature topic, if you like strong character build-ups you might love the book.
******
Beyond the Higher Ground
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Beyond the Higher Ground by Thomas A. Brigger
