Review of Beyond the Higher Ground

[Revina Estrada]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Beyond the Higher Ground" by Thomas A. Brigger.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Thomas A. Brigger's Beyond the Higher Ground is a novel of literary fiction depicting loss, growth, realizations and a reflection of the never-ending problem of the society caused by drug dens and abusers, and its devastating consequences to the people affected by it.

Set in the year 2017, Tucker Mason, who was grieving for the loss of his wife, was given the opportunity to start a new life when he was tasked to build a prison in Wells County, Virginia. However, just when he thought that a new chapter was opened for him to finally move on from the memories of his past and start over, a new problem arises. An innocent move to an old house has pulled him into the world of drug cartels and dealers that might be after his life.

My positive take on this book is that the author presented every back story or past of the characters; the reasons for their actions and their connection to the events happening in the novel. He doesn't leave any questions unanswered nor leave his readers wondering because any questions one might have are thoroughly presented in the succeeding chapters of the story.

However, what I immediately noticed when I started reading it is that it was not edited meticulously. There are paragraphs that are unnecessarily long and wordy. A few of the sentences do not have the proper tenses and were not constructed well that some of it make it hard for the reader to understand as to what it means or who is it meant for. I also observed that every move and surroundings the main character does or passes by are described in too much detail. Details or descriptions of the places or actions can be helpful to the reader; however, too much of it can make the story long and add unnecessary information. Because of these, the first few chapters of the novel were only filled with more of like the side stories that its main focus or the main story, for me, only started in the middle.

All in all, I rate Beyond the Higher Ground 2 out of 4 stars. I would have rated it higher; however, the way the story was edited makes it hard to leave a good lasting impression on the reader. The excessive description of the movements and details can barely hold a reader's attention. I would recommend this book to readers who are more into character-driven novels and serious reads, especially to the critical readers who reflect on what they have read.

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Beyond the Higher Ground
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