Review by Silpi B -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

[Silpi B]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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On a stormy night, Ruth brings Sarah to Tom’s house. Sarah is the granddaughter, Tom never knew he had. An ornery kid of about 12 to 13 years old, Sarah is explicit in her dislike of her grandparents. Tom, on the other hand, was planning to go on a trip with his Native American friends, William and his daughter, Myra, into the wilderness of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. He wants to visit his grandfather, Bob-Bob’s grave and return an artifact that he had taken from the area several years ago.

Set against the wild and mysterious backdrop of the Pacific Northwest and North Pacific, Strong Heart takes one on a journey of a lifetime. When William suggests taking Sarah with them, Tom reluctantly agrees. However, the trip holds more adventures than any of them can imagine. Sarah goes missing for eight days, only to return on a stormy night, with half of a finger gone and looking torn and battered. No one knows what took place during that time. Charlie Sheldon keeps the suspense alive till the end, which makes it a very interesting read.

The atlatl goes missing with Sarah. But Sarah returns knowing how to throw darts accurately at a target, even from several paces away from it. Meanwhile, the Buckhorn Company wants to start mining in the area where Tom’s grandfather lies buried. The artifact he took from the area had the ability to turn the place into an archaeological site and stop the Buckhorns from ravaging the land.

The story that Sarah tells of the days she went missing is full of mystery, symbolism, adventure, wilderness, and magic. It is the tale of the ‘skin boat people’ and the ‘razor stone people’. It is a story of human trafficking, finding oneself, ancient legends, and the time when people were not fully ‘people’. It speaks of leadership, treachery, wisdom, and togetherness. What starts out as an unbelievable narration goes on to have indirect links to real life places. Sergei, Alec’s son, accompanies William and others on the second trip that they undertake. He seems to have his own theories about the origin of humans in that land. But Sarah’s story draws him in. There’s more to it than what meets the eye.

What I absolutely loved about the book is the way the story unfolds. There is the perfect blend of magical realism and wilderness in it, along with picturesque details of the surroundings. It brings the characters and events to life. The only thing I didn’t like much was that the beginning felt a bit dragged. The story gathered momentum only after Sarah goes missing.

The novel is exceptionally well-edited. I found no grammatical errors. I found only one missing punctuation that did not affect my reading at all. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The narration, the language, the descriptions, the characters – everything was well-developed and wonderfully portrayed. It was a beautiful read about the land of ‘magic, history and legends’, a place of ‘myth, ancient stories and ancient people’. The air of antiquity and mystery envelops the entire novel, and it leaves you with a dizzy head, trying to return back to the reality of everyday life.

There are a few violent scenes. I would advise against reading it to the ones with a faint heart. However, anyone with a longing for adventure, magic and mystery should definitely give this book a read.

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Strong Heart
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[Sanju Lali]

Thanks for your insightful review on this adventure hiking story of Sarah. The book appears interesting to me.