Review by SaffraWhishart -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
Posted: 16 Apr 2018, 22:58
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
4 out of 4 stars
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I picked up Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart expecting a heartwarming story about a family brought back together. But while this well-told story warms the heart, it does so without fluff or sentiment. Strong Heart is full of grit and realism, of complex characters who carry deep wounds but unconquerable hope, of struggle and science and magic.
On the eve of a long-planned hiking trip to honor his grandfather, Tom discovers to his shock that he is a grandfather himself. Sarah shows up on his doorstep soaked and shivering, a stick-thin 13-year-old with a sour attitude and a juvenile record. Her mother, Tom's estranged daughter, had died five years ago without ever telling Tom of Sarah's existence; her father died long ago. Sarah has nowhere else to go, but she certainly doesn't want to be here.
Tom holds a whispered conference with his traveling companions, his Native American friend William (a.k.a. Wall-eye) and his adult daughter Myra. Tom and Myra agree that the trip should be canceled; Tom is torn, though, because—for reasons that will become clearer as the book goes on—this trip has been very hard to schedule. This might be their only opportunity. But while Tom and Myra see in Sarah an angry teenager and a vulnerable child, William sees something else: her strong spirit. He convinces the others to take her along, much to her indignation. She starts the journey much as William imagined she would--“whining, spitting, a profane bundle of rage, buried beneath a pack, being hauled down the trail”--but as the strange foursome journey deeper into Olympic National Park, Sarah's “strong heart” becomes increasingly clear to everyone.
It will take all her strength and more to complete their journey, because it turns out that the pilgrimage they are on has much larger ramifications than Tom had ever intended, and that a story much larger than their lives or even their time is being told. Tom is in possession of an ancient artifact that could change the entire understanding of modern archaeology, and protect the park from a controversial mining contract. They will do all they can to protect the artifact, but the mining company will use any means to stop them.
I loved this book. In all my years of reading, I've seen so many plots repeated, and many of them done very well. But Strong Heart is truly unique. In some ways, it reminded me of a modern Canterbury Tales. (If you hated Canterbury Tales, don't let that turn you off—this is far more accessible.) Their journey to Tom's grandfather's resting place is a sort of pilgrimage, though each is journeying for a different reason. While they journey, each has opportunity to share their own stories, which are not asides but add depth not only to the characters but to an ever-widening plot. Sheldon tackles myths and archaeology, environmental struggles and the treatment of Native Americans, all without preachiness and, I felt, a fair look at each side of the issue. Most amazingly of all, though, he tackles magic.
Before leaving on the trip, Myra tells Sarah,
“This is a land of magic, history, and legend. A place of myth, ancient stories, ancient people.”
“Where? All I see is water, mud and trees,” Sarah retorts sullenly.
It is Sarah, however, who becomes the conduit and messenger of this magic, and Myra who struggles most to stretch her mind around it. I love fantasy books, but this is not a fantasy book, even though you as a reader are asked to believe some very fantastic things. Sheldon skillfully and deliberately anchors this magic in unflinching realism. His characters wrestle with these inexplicable events with as much difficulty as any of us would face were everything we considered impossible suddenly in question. This takes great talent and a lot of boldness as a writer.
This book continued to surprise me throughout. As the pages ticked down, I found myself growing alarmed, unable to imagine how the situation could resolve in time, wishing the page count would go up and leave me more time in this world.
Considering all of this, and that I only found one tiny punctuation error in the entire book, I wholeheartedly give Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars. I would go even further and say I think it is a masterpiece of writing which you should definitely read.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
I picked up Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart expecting a heartwarming story about a family brought back together. But while this well-told story warms the heart, it does so without fluff or sentiment. Strong Heart is full of grit and realism, of complex characters who carry deep wounds but unconquerable hope, of struggle and science and magic.
On the eve of a long-planned hiking trip to honor his grandfather, Tom discovers to his shock that he is a grandfather himself. Sarah shows up on his doorstep soaked and shivering, a stick-thin 13-year-old with a sour attitude and a juvenile record. Her mother, Tom's estranged daughter, had died five years ago without ever telling Tom of Sarah's existence; her father died long ago. Sarah has nowhere else to go, but she certainly doesn't want to be here.
Tom holds a whispered conference with his traveling companions, his Native American friend William (a.k.a. Wall-eye) and his adult daughter Myra. Tom and Myra agree that the trip should be canceled; Tom is torn, though, because—for reasons that will become clearer as the book goes on—this trip has been very hard to schedule. This might be their only opportunity. But while Tom and Myra see in Sarah an angry teenager and a vulnerable child, William sees something else: her strong spirit. He convinces the others to take her along, much to her indignation. She starts the journey much as William imagined she would--“whining, spitting, a profane bundle of rage, buried beneath a pack, being hauled down the trail”--but as the strange foursome journey deeper into Olympic National Park, Sarah's “strong heart” becomes increasingly clear to everyone.
It will take all her strength and more to complete their journey, because it turns out that the pilgrimage they are on has much larger ramifications than Tom had ever intended, and that a story much larger than their lives or even their time is being told. Tom is in possession of an ancient artifact that could change the entire understanding of modern archaeology, and protect the park from a controversial mining contract. They will do all they can to protect the artifact, but the mining company will use any means to stop them.
I loved this book. In all my years of reading, I've seen so many plots repeated, and many of them done very well. But Strong Heart is truly unique. In some ways, it reminded me of a modern Canterbury Tales. (If you hated Canterbury Tales, don't let that turn you off—this is far more accessible.) Their journey to Tom's grandfather's resting place is a sort of pilgrimage, though each is journeying for a different reason. While they journey, each has opportunity to share their own stories, which are not asides but add depth not only to the characters but to an ever-widening plot. Sheldon tackles myths and archaeology, environmental struggles and the treatment of Native Americans, all without preachiness and, I felt, a fair look at each side of the issue. Most amazingly of all, though, he tackles magic.
Before leaving on the trip, Myra tells Sarah,
“This is a land of magic, history, and legend. A place of myth, ancient stories, ancient people.”
“Where? All I see is water, mud and trees,” Sarah retorts sullenly.
It is Sarah, however, who becomes the conduit and messenger of this magic, and Myra who struggles most to stretch her mind around it. I love fantasy books, but this is not a fantasy book, even though you as a reader are asked to believe some very fantastic things. Sheldon skillfully and deliberately anchors this magic in unflinching realism. His characters wrestle with these inexplicable events with as much difficulty as any of us would face were everything we considered impossible suddenly in question. This takes great talent and a lot of boldness as a writer.
This book continued to surprise me throughout. As the pages ticked down, I found myself growing alarmed, unable to imagine how the situation could resolve in time, wishing the page count would go up and leave me more time in this world.
Considering all of this, and that I only found one tiny punctuation error in the entire book, I wholeheartedly give Strong Heart 4 out of 4 stars. I would go even further and say I think it is a masterpiece of writing which you should definitely read.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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