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Critic's Corner
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James's first love has always been writing. During his tenure at a Los Angeles radio show, he wrote over 100 scripts and earned the 1999 Golden Mike Award for Best Entertainment Reporting. His other interests extend to acting, radio, and music. "Undo the Deed" is his first novel. It is always a thrill for a book critic to discover a new novelist and in my many years of critiquing and reviewing books, I've found a few. In James, I saw a young man who not only has a topical message, but the ability to wrap that message within a story of intrigue that fascinates the mind. "There are those who subscribe to the belief that everything that happens, no matter how trivial, is supposed to happen. Seventeen-year-old Amanda Grant, however, is more concerned with how to get through another day than she is with matters of destiny. She is trapped in a world of mind games, manipulation, alcohol, and violence. Amanda is an abused child." Amanda's father, Matthew, is an alcoholic who flies into rages that often end in a violent attack against his daughter. He rarely attacks his younger son or his cowering wife. One night in 1987, Matthew nearly kills Amanda, but she manages to escape the home, making a mad dash for her car. Tears blocking her vision, she loses control of the car and hits a tree. A married couple, Gary and Allison Pierce, witness the car wreck. A car that comes out of nowhere and crashes into a tree. Another stranger also witnesses the phenomena of Amanda's wreck. It is this stranger who after Amanda is taken to the hospital, manages to hide the car before the police can haul it to the salvage yard. It is also this stranger who retrieves the personal effects Amanda has left in the car. When she recovers consciousness in a hospital, Amanda Grant finds that she has inexplicably been transported from 1987 back to 1965. This is not a dream, it is real. She's still in her hometown. The town has changed, but she does recognize some buildings. The affluent Pierces, on learning the young girl has "run away from home" and has no one to help her, offer to take her to their home and to pay for her hospital expenses. Amanda has concocted a story of being from another town and has escaped an abusive home. She also tells the Pierces of her boyfriend Brian who she left behind. The story is complicated, but I was able to suspend my disbelief with the author's deft explanations of time travel and what happens to his young protagonist in her strange new environment. Safe with the Pierces, Amanda ponders her situation. First, she has no idea how she got here or how long she'll be able to stay. Being a rather mature teen she realizes a reason for this time shift must exist. Most obvious to her is the fact that here, in 1965, her father Matthew himself is a teenager. When she is enrolled in school and meets her father to be, she is surprised by how normal the teenage version of her father is compared to the violent adult version she grew up with. Then she discovers that Matthew is being beaten by his father. Amanda determines that she's somehow been sent here to help Matthew—and therefore, her own "future." If this were all the story, it would not have the impact that James puts into his novel. The plot has multi facets. One deals with Amanda's learning about the biology teacher in her school who is also a time-traveler. It is he who saved Amanda's purse and papers from the car. Mr. Tyson befriends Amanda and tells her of his own experiences in leaving 1984 and arriving back in time to 1958. He's been in the past for seven years and he thinks he'll stay here. The why of his explanation is compelling. He tells Amanda, "I think we were chosen. I think our deaths were prevented so we could serve some greater purpose here, in another time. Does that make any sense?" Good question, and one that is answered by James in the story. Amanda cannot be prepared for the surprises destiny has for her as her presence affects everyone she comes into contact with. New friends, new enemies, totally different lifestyles, all are almost more than Amanda can comprehend. Then, she meets Lisa Stafford, and a new set of circumstances are thrust upon her. I made pages of notes as I read this story, but now realize to reveal too much would ruin this most unusual novel for the reader. Child abuse and its various causes are a major concern for our society. James, under the title "Resources" in the back of the book, offers the names, addresses and phone numbers for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, ChildhelpUSA, and RAIN Hotline and other agencies for those in need. In addition, a Safety Plan is offered for women and children in danger. For other information on the novel, and these resources, readers may visit the author's web site, http://www.undothedeed.com, for more information and links. It is a pleasure and a privilege to recommend "Undo the Deed" for teens, their parents, and all readers. This story is an original take on an age-old problem and one that will surprise you with its ultimate mystery.
(Jones is a published writer & literary critic) |
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UNDO
THE DEED
