A Memoir
Shannon Huffman Polson
I received an advance reading copy of “North of
Hope” from Zondervan for free in exchange for a book review.
Thanks Zondervan!
I had high expectations for this book, perhaps a
little too high. What sounded like
a story of an adventurous, soul healing journey, quickly turned into a story I
simply skimmed to get to the interesting portions. Shannon’s parents died a
terrible death – mauled by a‘tame’ grizzly in the Alaskan wilderness. The shock and horror led to depression
and void. Shannon decides to
‘reenact’ the last journey her parents made with a friend and family member, not
knowing why she needs to do this or what she will experience or encounter.
My assumption was that most of the story would be
centered on Shannon’s rafting wilderness rafting journey.
Assumptions are usually wrong.
Shannon details many events, feelings, and stories from her life before
the tragedy and after. Her
relationship with her father was very strong before his death and there is much
pain and grief she needs to work through.
Honestly, I did not find the backtracking and soul searching interesting
or meaningful to read. Much of it
is told without much direction.
Shannon’s faith is a part of the journey, but even the feelings and
thoughts associated with that were not interesting to read.
I would have liked more information about the journey, her faith, and
God’s healing hand.