This is a short but powerful story that won the Hackney Literary Award for a first novel. There's a quiet earnestness in Frederick Reiken's writing that I find very appealing. I see some similarity with Brad Kessler's work in the way Reiken's characters use art, music, literature, and love of nature to soothe their grieving hearts. Two things about this book stay with me. First is the way the Shumway family members support and encourage each other throughout the ordeal rather than having it destroy the family. When Dad takes up timber framing (and chisel collecting...go figure) to fill his empty spaces, Halley and Philip secretly make fun of him. But they love him, so they feign interest in his work and then discover a genuine interest in the craft, and treasure the time it gives them with their dad. The second thing that stays with me is the huge difference between losing a person to death and losing a person to disappearance. When someone dies, you know they're never coming back. You grieve and move on. When someone just vanishes, it's hard to extinguish that flame of hope, however tiny, that they're still alive. Philip, the young narrator, imagines elaborate scenarios that feature Ethan waltzing back into their lives someday. Without a body to grieve over, he can't quite let go of his big brother. As the years go by, he has to learn to live with the mysteries and honor the memories. (4.5 stars)
The Drift Of Things
To yield with a grace to reason
This is a short but powerful story that won the Hackney Literary Award for a first novel. There's a quiet earnestness in Frederick Reiken's writing that I find very appealing. I see some similarity with Brad Kessler's work in the way Reiken's characters use art, music, literature, and love of nature to soothe their grieving hearts. Two things about this book stay with me. First is the way the Shumway family members support and encourage each other throughout the ordeal rather than having it destroy the family. When Dad takes up timber framing (and chisel collecting...go figure) to fill his empty spaces, Halley and Philip secretly make fun of him. But they love him, so they feign interest in his work and then discover a genuine interest in the craft, and treasure the time it gives them with their dad. The second thing that stays with me is the huge difference between losing a person to death and losing a person to disappearance. When someone dies, you know they're never coming back. You grieve and move on. When someone just vanishes, it's hard to extinguish that flame of hope, however tiny, that they're still alive. Philip, the young narrator, imagines elaborate scenarios that feature Ethan waltzing back into their lives someday. Without a body to grieve over, he can't quite let go of his big brother. As the years go by, he has to learn to live with the mysteries and honor the memories. (4.5 stars)
