Storm Riders : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Life, and everything else
Review: Just as in real life we must stop to laugh at the small almost insignificant aspects, even if they come at the worst of times. This book, though not intended to be, is very funny because it points to the very nature of life that makes the hard times bearable.

This is one of the first books by a contemporary author I am suggesting my friends read. A well written, well thought out novel with deep, complex characters with real flaws, tough feelings and emotions not seen enough. Lesley is truly a Pacific Northwest writer drawing from the beauty and landscape that makes many of our backyards escape into the beauty of an Oregon horizon. And whose characters are divinely independent while still needing people to survive. A novel worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: His best so far
Review: Lesley's fourth novel, "Storm Riders," is his best so far. This is not to take away from his previous efforts - his work just keeps getting better and better. The story of a man who tries to be an adopted father to a mentally disabled Tlingit Indian boy (his ex-wife's cousin) and then eventually fails is handled with compassion and almost brutal honesty, otherwise a standard trait of Lesley's writing style. Lesley's ability to portray the problems of the 'little guy' and those living on society's peripheries (to paraphrase Ursula Le Guin's characterization of his writing) is unparalleled; an entire battalion of bleeding-heart journalists and weekend social activists couldn't do a better job if they tried.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Testimony to Hope
Review: Storm Riders, simply stated is a sumptuous novel that probes deep into the hearts and minds of anyone who wanted to help another rise above their disabilities, but didn't know how. People who believe they have the tools to create miracles, but end up feeling ineffectual. It will touch the souls of those who dare to care for disadvantaged citizens who go unnoticed and written-off. A Northwest author, Lesley's Storm Riders captures the spirit and unique essence of life in Oregon. His ability to capture the authentic spirit of the Northwestern and illustrate it with the struggles and tragedies of Clark Woods is Lesley's true gift to the modern novel.

Craig Lesley's Storm Riders examines the life of Clark Woods as he strives to obtain a balance in a universe that looks to hold no hope, repose, or closure for him. Longing for a happy domestic life with children, Clark convinces his wife Payette to take in her young orphaned cousin, Wade and raise him as their own. Wade, a native Alaskan Indian comes to Clark and Payette a victim of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and suffers mental and emotional damage. In addition, Wade cannot read or write and often cannot distinguish reality from fantasy.

Clark's blind sympathy for the boy and his own desire for children cloud his vision to the negative impetus Wade has on his life. Unable to handle the unpredictable nature of Wade, in addition to her own selfish desires, Payette divorces Clark. Wade is left in his care. Desperate to seek solutions to Wade's disabilities, Clark desires to find meaning, and solace to problems that have no apparent logical definition.

It is when Wade becomes a suspect in the drowning of a young Asian girl, Clark beings to question his ability to support him. Frustration and anger plague Clark as he forces himself to recognize that love and faith alone may not defeat Wade's disabilities. Meanwhile, as the drowning of the young Asian girl haunts Clark, he builds a new life and relationship with his girlfriend Natalie. Troubled that Wade's irrational and erratic behavior will once again destroy Clark's chance at domestic bliss, he strives to find balance between his longing for a life with Natalie, and supporting Wade.

At times full of helplessness, and frustration Storm Riders asks us what our duty is to those we cannot help. What is the roll of society in caring for children with mental disorders? More importantly, it longs to find solutions and tools to problems that are beyond our comprehension. In a bold move, Lesley does not offer solid solutions to Wade's mental illness, or his potential involvement in the death of the Asian girl. Instead he offers the following:

"Change, the shift of fortune, lay beyond his control. Even Wade's destiny eluded him. Clark now realized that at times he had been as powerless as the old shamans in dealing with Wade's problems. However, for the moment Wade was blalanced. Angoon seemed to be the right place, if the clan actually helped the boy during the storms Clark had to be satisfied with that hope."

Written with grace, passion and the spirit of life in the Northwest, Storm Riders is a powerful and engaging novel. A book to be read by those who believe trust in the human spirit is deserved. A masterful work with a strong emotional spirit, and a moving testimony that hope is the foremost tool for survival we have.

About my grading system: I interpret Amazon.com's five-star ranking system as follows: 1 star = far below standards, 2 stars = below standards, 3 stars = meets standards, 4 stars = exceeds standards, 5 stars = far exceeds standards.