West of Here

West of Here

Jonathon Evison

Algonquin Books, 2011

Alternate stories set in a fictional town on Washington State's Pacific coast contrasts the goals of the pioneers who settled there in 1890 with the very different problems of the town's present-day inhabitants. Action jumps between the 1890s, when explorers, businesspeople, American Indians, and other characters were attempting to put the fictional town of Port Bonita, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, “on the map,” and 2006, when the current inhabitants are in the process of dismantling the dam that their ancestors built. You will need to make a list in order to keep the cast of characters straight – both in the historical chapters and the modern day ones – because they will make your head swirl. In fact, some may say the characters are too overwhelming, the plot lines too varied, and the switching back and forth too confusing to be enjoyable. I think, however, that the author does a good job keeping things straight. My problem is that I didn’t much care for any of the characters nor their fates, so I had a hard time slogging through this massive tome.

I’m not sure I can advise others to read this book or not. The best I can do is warn you of its size, ridiculous number of characters, and the slow and plodding nature of the writing. You will not thrill at the action and adventure of this novel, but you may appreciate the beautiful descriptions of the Pacific Northwest wilderness and the strong sense of place that the author evokes.

Rating:

Other books by this author:

All About Lulu (2008)

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