"Motherless," Erin Healy
December 1, 2014 /1 Comment/in Erin Healy, Favourites, Fiction, My Library, Reviews /by Ian Acheson
"This is truth: we all tell the stories that we want to believe. We tell them for so long that we forget what we really know. Occasionally we convince others to believe them too."
Motherless is the story of brother and sister, Marina and Dylan, who are coming to terms with the anticipated death of their father (he's in an induced coma) having lost their mother many years earlier from an apparent suicide.
Marina, even though only a few years older than 16-year-old Dylan, has taken on many of the responsibilities of being a mother. She is especially protective of him as he suffers from agoraphobia, which can be tremendously debilitating.
Their story is told through the eyes of a first person narrator who has a particular interest in their welfare. This individual takes on a far greater role in their story and especially the key themes as it unfolds.
Healy uses vivid imagery in describing her characters, the Californian coast and the delicacies created by Sara, another key character. At any moment Healy is able to transport the reader into being a cocktail party guest, harvesting grapes in a vineyard or sitting on a surfboard waiting for the next set to roll in.
I particularly appreciated how Healy took me into Dylan's mind, the young poet who was at his happiest surfing the break outside his home even though stepping out the front door to pop down to the shops crippled him with fear. I know what that feels like.
Lies, deception, grace and forgiveness. Key themes at the heart of most families as they reflect the darkness and light we all must navigate through life.
This is what makes this story so compelling: it could be any of our families that Healy has captured on the page.
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"Stranger Things", Erin Healy
March 31, 2014 /2 Comments/in Erin Healy, Favourites, Fiction, My Library, Reviews /by Ian Acheson
Photo courtesy of Thomas Nelson website
This is my new favourite Erin Healy novel. It has all the hallmarks of what we've come to expect from Healy: gripping suspense, characters grappling with their external world but also with what's in their heart, and an insider's perspective of the "thin places" where the natural and supernatural intersect. However, added to this novel is an especially powerful story line drawing the reader into the dark sinister world of human trafficking.
The novel starts fast and doesn't let up. Healy's descriptive powers make this novel a highly visual experience. We get multiple points of view which I enjoyed as it enlightened the experience in my mind.
The story demonstrates how human trafficking is able to proliferate due to systematic abuse, deceit and corruption. For much of the novel we're not exactly sure whether the heroes are actually villains and vice-versa. As the story unfolds the layers gradually peel away to reveal some very courageous people and sinister bad guys.
Serena Diaz and Amber Larsen are two very gutsy women, both survivors of this heinous industry, and marvelously crafted. They are drawn together, coincidentally, by Amber's brother, Christopher. Embedded in both ladies is his passion and energy to rescue those in need and shine light in the darkness of the industry that has played such a role in their lives since their youth.
The bad guys are creepy in their arrogance, abuse of power and complete disregard for the lives of the many they destroy. Healy reveals the far-reaching tentacles of structured corruption that pervades the industry.
This is an effortless read that was hard to put down and I was sad it ended.
http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png 0 0 Ian Acheson http://ianacheson.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IanShieldLogo_03.png Ian Acheson2014-03-31 05:20:512014-03-31 05:20:51"Stranger Things", Erin Healy