Thewanderingjew

Jim Stegner is a 45 year old recovering alcoholic, a convicted felon, running from the reality of his life. He has had two unsuccessful marriages. His daughter from his first marriage was murdered when she was 14 years old during a marijuana buy that went wrong. Nothing he can do, no amount of acting out his anger and frustration, will bring her back. Sometimes, in his imagination, he has conversations with himself, with something like an alter ego, and also he listens to his daughter’s advice when she seems to appear, at times, in some mystical spiritual form to him, like that of a white owl, or in her own body image to comfort him when he seems to be at wit’s end. He believes he has failed his daughter, and he is haunted by the painful memory of their last exchange.

He is a painter with a fine reputation, but he is not a happy man. Although he seems sensitive and compassionate, he tends to have violent encounters with strangers, and sometimes, has an uncontrollable temper. When he becomes a suspect in a murder investigation, the world, peculiarly, takes special note of him, and his work increases in value and is in higher demand.

He uses his painting and his love for fishing as therapy to try and keep his life on track. His violent behavior is almost like an addiction, as his gambling and alcoholism were, in the past. He has to constantly fight to control his emotions. Jim has to search his soul and find himself again so he can begin to live without the burden of his painful memories. The story will sometimes keep you on the edge of your seat and sometimes drop you flat on your back.

Although it is well written, there were times when there was simply too much unnecessary detail. Essentially, Jim has committed murder. The family is seeking revenge, hunting him down wherever he goes. How do they always track him without a tracking device? It isn’t explained. Written in a lighthearted manner, even though the subject matter is really not funny, the book moves quickly along.