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The Meaning of Isolated Objects
An alchemical tale exploring love, grief, and the mysteries of connection.
Scott, a CIA agent and remote viewing expert, divides his life between the U.S. and Afghanistan, ignoring the toll this takes on his marriage, his relationship with his daughter Wendell, and his own heart. Scott has secrets he has never shared with anyone, but when Wendell, a young archaeologist just out of college, suddenly rebels against his absences and takes off on a secret trip of her own, he can no longer keep the two halves of his life separate.
Things unravel as Wendell settles in Texas and discovers she is being followed. She finds notes from a mysterious man who seems to know her. Scott fears the worst: the CIA wants Wendell because of remote viewing skills she doesn't even know she has. He follows her to Texas and they go on the run together, discovering that they share more than just remote viewing skills. They share the same walled-off hearts. To open them, they must piece together a painful but redemptive puzzle of grief, love, and loss.
Scott, a CIA agent and remote viewing expert, divides his life between the U.S. and Afghanistan, ignoring the toll this takes on his marriage, his relationship with his daughter Wendell, and his own heart. Scott has secrets he has never shared with anyone, but when Wendell, a young archaeologist just out of college, suddenly rebels against his absences and takes off on a secret trip of her own, he can no longer keep the two halves of his life separate.
Things unravel as Wendell settles in Texas and discovers she is being followed. She finds notes from a mysterious man who seems to know her. Scott fears the worst: the CIA wants Wendell because of remote viewing skills she doesn't even know she has. He follows her to Texas and they go on the run together, discovering that they share more than just remote viewing skills. They share the same walled-off hearts. To open them, they must piece together a painful but redemptive puzzle of grief, love, and loss.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2010
4 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Billie Hinton
9 books39 followersBillie Hinton lives on a small horse farm in North Carolina with her human family, two horses, a painted pony, two miniature donkeys, five fanciful felines, two Corgis (Pembroke and Cardigan), and a Golden Retriever girl learning to be a service dog.
She sees magic happen every single day.
She sees magic happen every single day.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 18, 2019
I had such a hard time with this. First of all, on my kindle version there wasn't even a page break when switching between characters point of view and with three narrators this was really jarring. Then, I couldn't get into the writing or the story. It felt like the author was really trying to be deep and symbolic and have beautiful writing, but I kept getting thrown by strange word choices that looked like she used a thesaurus too much. And the characters were all pretty awful. I couldn't feel sympathy or care about them almost at all. And to top it all off - there's no real plot. No real resolution to most of the story lines. And the character that does change - it's not believable. Thank goodness it was free. But I wish I could have my time back.
July 12, 2013
This novel revolves around a father and his daughter, both forging ahead on separate yet parallel paths toward an inevitable collision. To be honest, this book will not be for everyone. If you are looking for a fast-paced novel, you may not enjoy this book. If you are looking for an effortless laid back novel, you may not fully appreciate this book. This is a novel overflowing with symbolism (as the title suggests); therefore, this will appeal most to readers who like to seek out deeper meanings within the novels they read. In some areas, the symbolism is obvious; in other areas it's almost poetic in it's subtle imagery and philosophical undertones. It is a slow and steady-paced read that gradually develops a strong connection between the reader and the central characters.
I felt a connection with the daughter, Wendell, almost immediately. She's always on the move; restless and unable to stay in one place for very long; continuously searching for her place in the world. I liken Wendell's character development to peeling back the layers of an onion as the author gradually takes us deeper and deeper into her most intimate thoughts. Wendell is running, but is she running away from or towards something? Her father Scott feels disconnected from his daughter's life and is determined to ensure her decisions are different than his own. He wants to shield her from the loneliness and regrets he has amassed as a result of a career that he was unwilling, and unable, to walk away from.
While the subject of "remote viewing" for the CIA is present in this novel, it is certainly not the central focus. The main theme of this novel centers around the strained relationship of a father and his daughter and their personal journeys of self-discovery. Like magnetic poles that repel and attract each other, father and daughter dance, both attempting to avoid one simple and powerful truth. Are the familial ties that bind them strong enough to bring them together, or will their choices, past and present, ultimately tear them apart?
The book is well-edited, well written, and not easily forgotten. I read this book a couple months ago, finally getting around to writing a review, and yet the characters and their actions are still fresh in my memory. In my opinion, a novel that has staying power is a rare treat. I highly recommend this meaningful read. It reminds us, among many other things, that..."not all who wander are lost..."
I felt a connection with the daughter, Wendell, almost immediately. She's always on the move; restless and unable to stay in one place for very long; continuously searching for her place in the world. I liken Wendell's character development to peeling back the layers of an onion as the author gradually takes us deeper and deeper into her most intimate thoughts. Wendell is running, but is she running away from or towards something? Her father Scott feels disconnected from his daughter's life and is determined to ensure her decisions are different than his own. He wants to shield her from the loneliness and regrets he has amassed as a result of a career that he was unwilling, and unable, to walk away from.
While the subject of "remote viewing" for the CIA is present in this novel, it is certainly not the central focus. The main theme of this novel centers around the strained relationship of a father and his daughter and their personal journeys of self-discovery. Like magnetic poles that repel and attract each other, father and daughter dance, both attempting to avoid one simple and powerful truth. Are the familial ties that bind them strong enough to bring them together, or will their choices, past and present, ultimately tear them apart?
The book is well-edited, well written, and not easily forgotten. I read this book a couple months ago, finally getting around to writing a review, and yet the characters and their actions are still fresh in my memory. In my opinion, a novel that has staying power is a rare treat. I highly recommend this meaningful read. It reminds us, among many other things, that..."not all who wander are lost..."
February 7, 2013
Billie Hinton has become one of my must-read authors. Her books are fabulous...they are dark, gritty, and very much real. Whenever I finish a book of hers, it takes me at least a couple of days before I can start a different book. The characters are so frustratingly real, and there are times that I actually get angry enough with them that I put the book down. I pick it right back up, though, because I need to know what happens next.
In this story, you meet Scott and his daughter Wendell. After losing his wife when Wendell was born, Scott struggles with life as a whole. He throws himself into his work - which takes him out of the country - and his sister-in-law takes over raising Wendell. Now that Wendell is an adult, Scott is trying to come to terms with his choices, his memories, and himself.
I cannot provide additional details without spoilers, so I will just say read the book. If you like your characters so real you can see them in your head (and long to throttle them when they do something you KNOW is going to have consequences they won't like), and your story lines a bit fantastical while also very true to life as it really is, you'll love this book.
In this story, you meet Scott and his daughter Wendell. After losing his wife when Wendell was born, Scott struggles with life as a whole. He throws himself into his work - which takes him out of the country - and his sister-in-law takes over raising Wendell. Now that Wendell is an adult, Scott is trying to come to terms with his choices, his memories, and himself.
I cannot provide additional details without spoilers, so I will just say read the book. If you like your characters so real you can see them in your head (and long to throttle them when they do something you KNOW is going to have consequences they won't like), and your story lines a bit fantastical while also very true to life as it really is, you'll love this book.
July 4, 2011
Do you have authors whose work you ration, forcing yourself to find breathing space in other books between times, lest you read their entire bibliography back-to-back in only a few days? I do, which is the only reason I haven't yet read everything Billie Hinton has written.
The drama in this novel comes from the interplay of complex and highly flawed characters as much as from the plot. Scott struggles to overcome his past as his daughter takes her own route to come to terms with her childhood, and what she knows and what she imagines about her father.
The Gordian knot of human relationships is made into an even more inseperable tangle by the influence of remote viewing. In Hinton's imagining of the technique, viewing and interacting aren't entirely distinct, leading to a number of strange consequences (I won't spoil the plot by saying any more).
I found this book both gripping and charming; I didn't want to put it down. It had dark moments, but the overall tone was hopeful, shining a light on love as well as on pain and dysfunction.
The drama in this novel comes from the interplay of complex and highly flawed characters as much as from the plot. Scott struggles to overcome his past as his daughter takes her own route to come to terms with her childhood, and what she knows and what she imagines about her father.
The Gordian knot of human relationships is made into an even more inseperable tangle by the influence of remote viewing. In Hinton's imagining of the technique, viewing and interacting aren't entirely distinct, leading to a number of strange consequences (I won't spoil the plot by saying any more).
I found this book both gripping and charming; I didn't want to put it down. It had dark moments, but the overall tone was hopeful, shining a light on love as well as on pain and dysfunction.
May 17, 2012
This was one strange book. In the first quarter or so, I almost gave up on it and in some ways, I wish I had. I found the plot slow and plodding. In the early chapters, the narration switches among three major characters, Scott, a CIA agent, Wendell, Scott’s 23 year old archaeologist daughter, and Lynnie, Scott’s wife who died in childbirth with Wendell. The Scott and Wendell chapters are written in third person while the Lynnie chapters are written in first person with the reason being that we are reading her journals. The story does pick up the pace somewhat from the middle on but it still seemed like a chore to get through it. I feel in many ways, this would have worked better as a novella. I would not recommend this book except perhaps to insomniacs.
May 19, 2012
The most bizarre story that I've ever encountered. It started from Scott as a CIA agent assigned in Afghanistan then it switch to the wife, and then to Wendell the daughter. First off, I don't like an author whipping the characters often, and thinking I was still reading the same person and realized it switch from mother to daughter. I almost give up with the story, and drip while reading. It's weird because Wendell going with different guys, and since the mother died the Aunt was taking care of her while sleeping with Scott the father. This story does not have a sparkle at all.
February 9, 2012
This is the dreamiest, most romantic book I've read in many years, yet not at all formulaic. Hinton has a gift for depicting complicated internal states of love, anger, loneliness and connection while also telling a compelling story that covers all kinds of physical terrain. I had minor credibility issues with some parts of the plot, but the characters live and breathe and are wonderfully unpredictable. Again, VERY romantic -- a great Valentine's book.
May 20, 2012
If I don't enjoy a book I find it hard to read on through, but this was the best thing I had on my kindle at that time and it was OK for tube journeys. It's a plodding slow story with no climax, and not a good read.
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February 25, 2016kindle 269 thriller
December 21, 2014
Beautiful writing. Loved it.
November 12, 2011
I love this author's writing. Billie Hinton is a beautiful, graceful writer.
June 30, 2012
I loved this book as I have all of hers. Amazing author!!6
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews