A Review
A review of Song for the Forsaken, by Jan Notzon.
This is the story of Mandy MacDaniel and her journey toward redemption. I am drawn to stories of redemption, actually toward the possibility of redemption because I believe this grace is out-of-reach for so many of us. However, this is one area in which the idea of being wrong is welcome. To say that I was blown away is doing a disservice to both the author and Mandy. Also, this is not a descriptive term I would use. I will say I was awed and deeply touched. What common ground could I have with a girl from the
Appalachian backwoods? The truth is that I saw myself in Mandy and that is what great writing should do—find connections. It should never talk down to it’s audience. This novel did not. The chapters are short and fast-paced taking the reader through Mandy’s family history, her complicated relationships with family, heartbreaking decisions, and an all too-brief glimpse into her life. I love words and how people choose to put them together to evoke responses. The writing is lyrical, poetic, almost a dirge. I can see how the love of the poetry of the Romantics influenced and affected the life of Mandy’s father, Owen. It is the style of the dreamers, of those who prefer the sublime over the mundane. To lose sight of these dreams crushes the soul and darkens the spirit. Do Mandy and her family find redemption? I really cannot say, but the path is definitely there.
Full Disclosure: Jan Notzon is a friend and fellow Laredoan. I did not receive this novel as a gift. I purchased it myself because I am interested in his work. He is a gifted storyteller and absolutely has something to say.
This is the story of Mandy MacDaniel and her journey toward redemption. I am drawn to stories of redemption, actually toward the possibility of redemption because I believe this grace is out-of-reach for so many of us. However, this is one area in which the idea of being wrong is welcome. To say that I was blown away is doing a disservice to both the author and Mandy. Also, this is not a descriptive term I would use. I will say I was awed and deeply touched. What common ground could I have with a girl from the
Appalachian backwoods? The truth is that I saw myself in Mandy and that is what great writing should do—find connections. It should never talk down to it’s audience. This novel did not. The chapters are short and fast-paced taking the reader through Mandy’s family history, her complicated relationships with family, heartbreaking decisions, and an all too-brief glimpse into her life. I love words and how people choose to put them together to evoke responses. The writing is lyrical, poetic, almost a dirge. I can see how the love of the poetry of the Romantics influenced and affected the life of Mandy’s father, Owen. It is the style of the dreamers, of those who prefer the sublime over the mundane. To lose sight of these dreams crushes the soul and darkens the spirit. Do Mandy and her family find redemption? I really cannot say, but the path is definitely there.
Full Disclosure: Jan Notzon is a friend and fellow Laredoan. I did not receive this novel as a gift. I purchased it myself because I am interested in his work. He is a gifted storyteller and absolutely has something to say.
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