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House of Spells
By Rachelle Stein-Wotten
Remembrance, cultural traditions, familial responsibilities and the distinct way that nature and the environment influence personal identity all weave together in the sensory experience created by Robert Pepper-Smith in his second novel, House of Spells.
The second book in the Wheel Keeper series, House of Spells is a quiet, gentle story of life in southeastern British Columbia in the 1960s and 1970s as seen through Lacey, an observant and intuitive 16-year-old girl.
Lacey watches for fires in the mountains and forests from a lookout tower on the Palliser Mountain. There she reflects on her family, friends and town in the valley south of Revelstoke. Her precocious yet childlike friend, Rose, becomes pregnant and Lacey struggles with how to help her navigate the waters of motherhood and adoption.
Pepper-Smith's detailed descriptions of the valley and snow-covered mountains are almost transcendental. He describes every touch, taste and smell, emphasizing the preciousness of the landscape to the people who lived there as well as the ecological importance. These physical details are at the heart of the novel. The most engrossing passages happen in moments such as when Lacey helps her father make paper, with its pure white colour from being buried in the dry, fresh snow in the Illecillewaet snowfields.
From her lookout, Lacey delves into her memories in a non-chronological fashion. Naturally the mind works in this manner; however, as a reader it can be difficult to follow. As a result the story lacks a strong cohesive force at times.
Despite her main character status, Lacey comes off as a passive member of her own life, an outside observer. As a young woman, she watches the people around her, learning and questioning life's obligations and responsibilities. She observes the ways in which people care for one another and the place they call home. Through her reflections she doesn't experience one all-encompassing epiphany, but rather the first of many lessons about humanity and the push and pull of life.
Although The Wheel Keeper, the first book in the series, and House of Spells share similar themes, they can be read separately. The narrator of the former, Michael Guzzo, only appears as a minor character in House of Spells, weaving in and out of the story, which is an interesting choice given he is the father of Rose's baby. Pepper-Smith says that Michael and Lacey will both appear in the third and final installment of the series, Lake of Memory, as they travel through Guatemala.
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Remembrance, cultural traditions, familial responsibilities and the distinct way that nature and the environment influence personal identity all weave together in the sensory experience created by Robert Pepper-Smith in his second novel, House of Spells.
The second book in the Wheel Keeper series, House of Spells is a quiet, gentle story of life in southeastern British Columbia in the 1960s and 1970s as seen through Lacey, an observant and intuitive 16-year-old girl.
Lacey watches for fires in the mountains and forests from a lookout tower on the Palliser Mountain. There she reflects on her family, friends and town in the valley south of Revelstoke. Her precocious yet childlike friend, Rose, becomes pregnant and Lacey struggles with how to help her navigate the waters of motherhood and adoption.
Pepper-Smith's detailed descriptions of the valley and snow-covered mountains are almost transcendental. He describes every touch, taste and smell, emphasizing the preciousness of the landscape to the people who lived there as well as the ecological importance. These physical details are at the heart of the novel. The most engrossing passages happen in moments such as when Lacey helps her father make paper, with its pure white colour from being buried in the dry, fresh snow in the Illecillewaet snowfields.
From her lookout, Lacey delves into her memories in a non-chronological fashion. Naturally the mind works in this manner; however, as a reader it can be difficult to follow. As a result the story lacks a strong cohesive force at times.
Despite her main character status, Lacey comes off as a passive member of her own life, an outside observer. As a young woman, she watches the people around her, learning and questioning life's obligations and responsibilities. She observes the ways in which people care for one another and the place they call home. Through her reflections she doesn't experience one all-encompassing epiphany, but rather the first of many lessons about humanity and the push and pull of life.
Although The Wheel Keeper, the first book in the series, and House of Spells share similar themes, they can be read separately. The narrator of the former, Michael Guzzo, only appears as a minor character in House of Spells, weaving in and out of the story, which is an interesting choice given he is the father of Rose's baby. Pepper-Smith says that Michael and Lacey will both appear in the third and final installment of the series, Lake of Memory, as they travel through Guatemala.
www.soundernews.com
Submitted on January 5, 2012 in By David.
