In this work of historical fiction whose star characters come from the world of fantasy, we first meet Jules, tethered to a rock-climbing rope on a cliff just below Owl Ridge—100 stories above Katahdin Falls River in northern Maine. It is mid-May, 2020, and a relentless pandemic is the grim reality facing every citizen of the world.
Jules is an environmental researcher with a visceral connection to all the kingdoms of life. He earns his way and makes a difference by helping Washington's environmental law firms do battle against corporate titans who earn more money when they damage the future of life on planet Earth.
Grenleigh arrives that morning, on the same cliff, and interrupts his plans. The athletic Irish redhead knows what she wants, is too kind and curious to leave Jules alone, and too attractive to long avoid. Jules' desperation drives him to follow her into the 100-mile Wilderness.
They could not be more different. He is taciturn. She is gregarious. His deep-seated, well-thought-out atheism clashes with her spiritual outlook, yet she doesn't fit any stereotype. Is she a Christian? She seems evasive. But there is nothing mysterious about her kindness. She helps him resolve the burdens of his past.
And the two of them also have much in common. Both have experienced deep trauma ... hers in Ireland, his in swamps and small villages across the eastern U.S. and Canada. They also share profound, soul-stirring love for the wilderness and are most at home while living there without leaving a trace.
Are there conflicts? Every hour of every day. Do they enjoy each other's company? Every hour of every day.
Grin, as he soon learns to call her, counters his pessimism, and impacts the arc of his character, with a firm belief that we all learn from our mistakes, and with something he has never felt before: admiration and recognition of his essential goodness.
Grin's super powers include a remarkable knowledge of age-old wisdom, which she reveals by telling allegories culled from humanity's most ancient written and oral stories. These "Grin's Fairy Tales", become a feature of each book in "The Frog Prince" series that you won't want to miss.
As they hike the Appalachian Trail while it is supposed to be closed, and snuggle out of sight of the drones sent to find them, they console each other's grim memories of the past, and find moments of transcendence in serendipitous events. They watch the sunrises and meteor showers, listen to the birds and breeze, face multiple dangers and confront inner demons ... and deepen their attraction at every step.
As these vivid, humanely-drawn characters become real to you, their biggest unspoken questions will invade your life too: "What if the most romantic thing two strangers can do on cold Spring nights is to keep each other warm and make their bed disappear without a trace?"
"What if we were meant to enjoy the beauties and threats of wildness?"
"What if, in spite of what seems like random disaster and meaningless accomplishments, we discover our lives have meaning after all?"
"What if 'acts of God' brought life, not death?"
"What if we stopped hating ourselves, or the people around us who are more lovable than we care to admit, and learned to hate only bad things?"
"What if tragedies are beginnings?"
"What if we aren't expected to find God, and can calmly wait until God finds us?"
"What if all the fairy tale endings ... 'And they all lived happily ever after...' will one day become true for every single person?"
The complicated characters in this simple book will grow on you. You will mix your past as they unpack theirs. You will curse every prognostication of a "perfect" world with Jules, and glow with Grenleigh in her vision of a peaceful planet.
This wide-ranging book of historical fiction and visionary exploration is carefully researched and beautifully written, with many a deep thought and poetic phrase. It is also a page-turner with fresh action and obstacles on every page, accompanied by vividl descriptions of the life and atmospher of the Acadian northeast.
Think of this story as needed medicine for the malaise of the Trump years, and the doom with which today’s geopolitical religious institutions darken our minds.
Lighten up with Grenleigh! Find a pathway out of your depression with Jules!
