iUniverse, 294 pages, (paperback) $18.95, 9781475988291
(Reviewed: September, 2013)
Willy Nywening’s novel The Journey Home features the trinity of loss, survival and rebirth. Set in rural Canada, the story follows Martha and her younger brother, Jamie, whose lives swirl out of control following their mother’s death. Their father is also dead, leaving the children to live with their aunt and uncle on the family farm. The absence of maternal love haunts everyone.
While the story is engaging — after all, orphans tug at the heart — it nonetheless suffers from several flaws. First, it contains too many parallel stories. As the children work to find their place in the world, for example, their Aunt Lydia and Uncle John independently grapple with this concept, too.
Nywening’s adults are mostly unsentimental and flawed in their ability to communicate anything but negative feelings. In their defense, they are aware of their failures to express real emotion, yet they fall short of making a true effort. The children, on the other hand, are sweet, introspective and compliant. Consequently, they come across as far too angelic. They have every reason to complain or rebel, and the absence of such seems unrealistic.
Additionally, the story is troubled by inconsistencies. For instance, although Nywening describes the preacher’s wife as a loving mother to her now-grown children, there is little proof of this. Also, the time elements don’t quite mesh. The author states that the events of the children’s lives span five years, yet there are suggestions otherwise. At one point, Jamie finds success in school, but that seems to be lost or forgotten, as his later efforts revert to limited success. Numerous changes in tense and Nywening’s didactic tone are equally distracting.
The story’s appeal lies in the ongoing efforts of the children to survive. More than anything, they strive to fulfill their mother’s deathbed wish to “remember to love God, to be good and to work hard.” Despite the story’s faults, many will find poignancy in their struggle.
Also available in hardcover and ebook.
Author’s Current Residence
Ontario, Canada
Source: BlueInk Reviews
0 comments:
Post a Comment