Book Review: "The Witness Tree" by Peter Tyner

As a book reviewer who agrees to accept self-published works, I never know what to expect when a request comes in. Most are very polite, a few are clueless, some think they are owed my time, and some are humble. Peter Tyner's request was the latter. This, his first novel, has been initially released in Kindle format which I prefer. I just received my new Kindle last week, so stay tuned for a technology review sometime soon.

The story takes place within a 12 hour period, where Hattie Plain, a retired janitor, reads in the local paper that the advice columnist has left, and she figures she's the perfect replacement... Armed with a collection of essays, articles, and diary excerpts (something she calls her "resume"), she heads down to their office for an unplanned interview. A feisty, well-seasoned senior, she won't leave until the paper's owner interviews her.

As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Ms. Plain played an important role in the black/white struggle in the southern states many decades ago, with some of the after-effects spilling over into the present day. I can't say much more without spoiling the plot - I strongly encourage you to find out for yourself.  ;-)

What unveils in the story is intriguing, captivating, sad at times, happy in others, comedic, and thoroughly fascinating. Well-timed flashbacks punctuate the interaction and dialogue between the main character, and the people at the newspaper.  And yes, she does get to meet the owner. The unforeseen connection between the two of them is uncanny...

I read it in two days... couldn't put it down. If this is the author's first novel (and it is),  Mr. Tyner is well on his way. What usually keeps my attention is a fast-paced action novel, such as something from Dan Brown or John Grisham. Mr. Tyner's writing is well syncopated; it keeps a nice flow and rhythm, and the story arc is a work of genius with a dab of surprise thrown in for spice. In this genre of historical fiction, it has been proven to me that talent as an author is more important than the genre itself.  Tyner is a natch. This could easily be adapted into a screen play.

Now, before his head gets all swelled up, I have some holes to poke at. Technical ones, not literary. Formating: I'm not familiar with how to lay out a Kindle book, but there were spaces between paragraphs that looked as though they were inserted for another page size, then converted to this format. This left some new chapters starting at the bottom of the page, with only 1 or 2 lines. Spaces between words: many words were crammed together likethis, another formating oversight. Some long words should have been hyphenated, but I don't know if that's a Kindle thing. Finally, there were a few spelling errors (not too many though).  As a first work that grabbed me by the shirt collar, I easily let them go. Anything less interesting, and you'd be hearing another rant about the contribution to the stigma of self publishing.

There you have it - the good and the bad; Wolfy's usual treatment.

4.5 out of 5 stars. If the author re-releases a cleaned up version, he'll get a 5.


Wolfy


OK, where's my Martini?