3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Mill Creek by Patrick John Donahoe follows the life of Michael Dunne. The first part of the book narrates Michael’s childhood spent in Cleveland under the influence of his deranged mother, the second part deals with the later years of his boyhood spent with his father and grandparents, and the third and final part continues his story in Mill Creek at West Virginia. This narrative is interspersed with a parallel storyline which shows the life of Jedidiah Weiser, a veteran of the Korean War, who after suffering much at the hands of his enemies returns to live in Mill Creek. This is the place where Michael’s path and Jed’s path finally cross and affect each other in unimaginable ways.
This novel is marked as a historical fiction in Online Book Club bookshelves and as a thriller on the author’s website. To avoid confusion, I should mention that the book contains a suspenseful tale culminating in a thrilling climax, while at the same time it narrates the history of West Virginia to some extent. It can also be considered a coming-of-age story as it shows the gradual emotional development of the protagonist. The inclusion of war scenes, experiences in prison camps, and a little romance makes the story touch almost all the genres.
Donahoe does a good work showing the transition of Michael’s character from a sickly child afraid of monsters to a brave and mature young boy. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the story unfold from Michael’s point of view. His insightful observations about every little thing would mesmerize the readers. The turning points of his life are painted so realistically that the readers can actually feel the thrill of his first hunt or the awkwardness of his first romantic experience. I was especially moved by some of his considerably mature thoughts such as-
“…if everybody looked at the whole human race as cousins, everyone might get along better”
Subtle moral lessons such as the importance of family and neighbors, the value of patience and compassion are emphasized again and again through Michael’s experiences.“…why people couldn’t just do things for themselves, and thank God for the opportunities that life provided.”
Another character that Donahoe has sketched masterfully is that of Rita, Michael’s deranged mother. The accounts of her ruthless behavior and obvious contempt towards her children are chilling. But when the author lets us peek into the incessant gibberish of her addled brain, we cannot help feeling sympathetic towards her.
I found a few negative points in the book. First of all, the pace was not consistent throughout the entire novel. The second part, in particular, seemed unnecessarily dragged. This feeling was accentuated by the long stretches of passive narration from Michael’s point of view without any dialogue to liven it up. Secondly, narratives of Jed’s life kept disrupting Michael’s story abruptly without any apparent connection between the two storylines. At the end of part two, we finally realize that both of them are coming to live in Mill Creek. In fact, Mill Creek itself is not even mentioned in the book before that point.
In my opinion, the chapters and chapter breaks could have been arranged in a more compact way. Also, the ending seemed too abrupt, as if the author realized he had to end the book and hastily tied up the loose ends in the last few pages.
I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I deduct one star because of the aberrant chapter breaks, inconsistent flow, and abrupt ending. Otherwise, this was a very pleasant read. From a technical standpoint, this book had only a couple of missing words and missing quotation marks which did not detract from the reading experience. All in all, I think this is a suitable book for young adults and adults alike. Any person who loves a character-driven story can take up this book.
******
Mill Creek
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Shrabastee's review? Post a comment saying so!