Mississippi Flyway
Nel Rand
iUniverse, November 2005
Mystery/Suspense
Reviewer:
Kevin Tipple
Posted: September 22, 2006
* * * * * *
As adults, we often don’t know what drives us through life and causes us to make the choices we make. It could be a vague memory of something that happened in our childhood past. An unspoken fear of something that happened but we aren’t too sure what it was and why we feel so afraid. The memory was so hurtful it became submerged and though buried, still messes with the mind.
That dark memory may be seen as something else entirely by the parent. As something that happened and meant very little and yet for the child had a tremendous impact. Much like the yard that seemed so huge to the child until one goes back as an adult and looks that memory of the event may not have the import for the adult that it has for the child. That concept provides the underlying framework in this enjoyable read from author Nel Rand.
Its 1967 and thirty-one year-old Ellie Moon living in Saint Louis isn’t happy. She is haunted by a past that she has tried to forget as well as by a mother who wants to control every single thing she does. Writing is what she loves along with gardening but she can’t find solace in either. Especially when dear old Mom rolls in with her wheelchair and the aide of the moment to comment about everything Ellie has ever done.
Her father, known to one and all as Tiny, is at Kentucky Lake playing cards with a group of men. One of the men he has just met is Dover, the Sheriff of Caggway County who is trying to rip-off Tiny. It just isn’t money Dover wants and Tiny knows that he has put himself in a bad place once again in his crooked life. He takes his chances and the breaks go his way and Tiny manages to steal from the Sheriff.
It’s been years since Tiny has seen Ellie but he knows where she lives. Before long, he visits, convinces her to join him on a road trip. Left unspoken is the idea they both have that their trip is a chance for both of them to escape current reality as well as possibly an attempt at reconciliation. Their road trip meanders along as they work their way slowly southward to New Orleans while Dover continues a relentless chase to hunt down Tiny. As they travel and meet a host of characters engaged in various enterprises that may or not be illegal, Tiny and Ellie recover lost memories, dreams and hopes and forge a new relationship.
Through numerous flashbacks as well as present day events, author Nel Rand weaves a tale of pain and redemption that will strike a deep emotional chord for many readers. Obviously, every child is a product of their upbringing and both the good and the bad are handed down from one generation to the next. Understanding what parents went through as children themselves can go along way to healing as well as breaking the cycle.
Such a topic is never easy to write and the pain of the characters on both sides of the issue comes through clearly for the reader. The characters are complex and as they work their personal road to redemption, both literally and figuratively, the pain of the past they both shared and yet saw so differently comes through for the reader. These aren’t stereotypical characters and that becomes clear early in the emotional read. The result is a cathartic read that is enjoyable and interesting while showcasing how peace and tranquility can be found for one family.
About Kevin Tipple
Kevin Tipple has been the editor of the zine “The Write Advice” and was also co-editor of the zine, “The Freshwave.” His short story fiction hasappeared in such magazines as Lost Worlds, Lynx Eye, Show and Tell, and Starblade among others. Currently, while reviewing books for several different sites, Kevin also owns and moderates the group ReviewersChoice listed in Yahoo Groups. In addition to numerous short stories, which are currently making the marketrounds, he is at work on his first novel, a murder mystery.
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