An eerie sensation stole over me in the opening pages of
Winds Over Marshdale, which I'm sure was the intent of author Tracy Krauss in this
tale of fresh starts and the unseen spiritual forces at work in the lives of a
small town community on the Canadian plains. Reading this story from the
perspective of one having a Christian world view, it felt all too real, downright
creepy even.
And I couldn't wait to read more.
While not a true suspense, elements of the story are very
suspenseful, while being at turns romantic and enlightening. This is one of the
first inspirational novels I've read that dealt so genuinely with issues of
occult practices found in certain aspects of native cultural traditions here in
North America. While exposing the underlying forces at work within them, the
author in no way belittled those cultures. In fact, one of the main characters,
a Native American man settling in Marshdale with the task of preserving his
cultural heritage for future generations, was an especially appealing and
sympathetic character with a strong love for the traditions of that heritage.
Tracy told her story with a strong sense of what the occult in any form can do from someone who's dabbled in it.
(You can read the author's testimony here.)
That's one of the strongest achievements of Tracy's novel. She
creates a cast of characters that stands out. These are really, really
well-developed characters. They are flesh and blood real, whether for good or
for evil, and usually a sharp dichotomy of both -- like us -- and her effort to
create them with such depth is one of the main things any writer can try to emulate after a careful reading of the book.
Good and bad live in everyone. (I don't want to give any
spoilers, but let's just say, watch out for the church lady in this book!) Even
a delightful main protagonist like Rachel Bosworth, a kind and generous kindergarten
teacher who wants a fresh start, makes some really ugly, unlikeable choices. In
fact, every one of Tracy's characters is a two-sided coin. Readers are given a
chance to see them on the outside, and then discover what makes them tick on
the inside, sort of like we can see and know ourselves -- or really, how God
can see and know the real us. The battles we rage against our inner natures can
be a nasty mess, if we'll admit it.
I highly recommend Wind Over Marshdale, and I can clearly
see why it won a 2013 Grace Award.
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