Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: A Crooked Path
Author: Annette Smith
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN-10: 1-57683-966-6
Release Date: October 2007
Genre/Sub-genre: Inspirational Fiction
Year/Setting: Mexico/Texas, Present Day
Overall Rating: 2.5
Sexual Content Rating: Subtle
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: None/Mild
Violent Content Rating: None/Mild
Annette's Website:
www.annettesmith.com
Dear Readers…This is a story that brings many emotions to your doorstep. From hope, perseverance, inspiration and love – to deep-seeded racial prejudices and the prevalent issues of illegal immigration – this story offers up flawed characters that somehow, unfortunately, never really break from the ‘world of clichés.’
A young boy, Manny Ortega, is abandoned by his father. The beginning of the novel is truly upsetting as his father turns his back on not only Manny, but the entire family, and leaves them in their small town in Mexico. Manny, being the oldest, leaves for Texas. He needs more than anything to find work and support his family back home. The section involving his exit and illegal border-crossing are dealt with very quickly. We move on to Texas, where Manny was one of the lucky few to receive a green card and enjoy legal status in the States. He is now in his mid-thirties and works at the Eden Plain cattle ranch for Owen Green – a slightly cranky old coot who suffers from a chronic illness. Owen is a nice man who, except for the belief that he must speak Spanish to Manny in order for him to understand instructions, does not show any early signs of racial prejudice. And…a great ‘father/son’ relationship blooms between them.
The flow of the story picks up at bit when Owen’s daughter arrives at the Ranch. She and Manny fall for each other and, as their new relationship blossoms, Owen’s ‘well-concealed’ issues involving race and class suddenly erupt. The plot becomes whether or not Manny and Chaney can overcome the blatant prejudicial feelings and remain together.
Living in the southwest, I have seen and debated many of the issues that this author brings up in her story. Although the novel is fine and the characters are nice, although forgettable, I find the story a bit too ‘glossed-over.’ The issues are addressed, yet the story remains neutral in its views, making it feel as if the hard choices made in Manny’s life and the passion that looms inside of him have been smothered, never allowing the character to truly lead people through the twists and turns of one of the most prevalent issues in society today.
This is a nice story. A bit ‘rose-colored’ – but nice.
Amy
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