Jack's Passage is the story of a boy's sometimes turbulent journey through
adolescence and into maturity, delicately unfolded through his relationships
with parents,
grandparents and, ultimately, Marion - the girl of his dreams. Imprisoned
for a time by guilt
and self-doubt, young Jack is drawn to his grandmother Nell, who never
fully recovered from
the accidental death of her first child, and together the two are set
free through an intimacy
that shapes and defines the boy's life. The book is strong on traditional
values and lacking in
obscene language, graphic sex and gratuitous violence. But it is not just
that. Jack's Passage is a good read, seasoned with pleasant descriptive passages and a complex
and interesting
development of its main characters.
Much of it set in a sleepy Blue Ridge mountain town, the novel weaves the threads of a tender love story into the fabric of a suspenseful tale of crime and courtroom drama. Marion's involvement as a witness at the trial nearly derails their relationship, but love proves stronger than guilt, and in the end Jack and Marion's destiny is secure.
Jack's Passage is a testament to the redeeming power of families and the relationships that exist within them. The strength Jack receives from the love of those around him - his grandparents in particular - enables the boy to surmount the many obstacles of adolescence and attain his passage into manhood. And in the process Jack learns to share the love that made him strong with those who need it most.