I am of somewhat mixed feelings on this novel, “A Return To Meadow Wood” by Sam Rawlins. On one hand it is brilliantly written with some of the most interesting and compelling characters I’ve read in a long time, and I liked how each of them had their own unique set of circumstances, especially Jack who we watch grow throughout the story. But on the other, at times I felt almost like this book was too much at once, and seemed to lose focus of the point and kept going off in different directions. I feel like it would have been better if it were shorter and more focused, with fewer subplots. But that is just my opinion, other people may disagree. I just like to feel like I’m reading 1 book at a time, and with this one I often felt like I was reading 3. It feels more existential and surreal at times, and if I put the book down for any period of time I found myself having to re-read the section before to figure out what was going on. At times the prose is lovely, other times it is overwritten and needs better editing. So an interesting and unforgettable read with a powerful message of Faith and God’s love and hope, just not without its issues for me.
Steph Coleman