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Wings E-Press, June 2003
Reviewed by Joy Calderwood
Damien Sutherland is trying to learn to live in the world of sobriety. His
need for human connections, and his ache to atone for past misdeeds, leave
him a wide-open target for people on the make. He has assumed the role of
Big Brother to the anti-social Dane Landis, whom he secretly believes may
be his son; and Dane is perfectly happy to get what he can from the
arrangement.
After being involved in a traffic accident with young Amy Burke, Damien
wants to do something for her and her family, but Monica Burke, mother of
three teenagers, is suspicious of his motives. Amy is far too attractive
to let an older man get near her. Monica doesn’t know that Amy has her own
agenda, and she doesn’t realize how much her view of Damien is skewed by
the trashy behavior of her dead husband. Eventually, even a mother’s
fierce protectiveness must give way to the facts when they become plain
enough.
Author Christine Janssen’s major success in WILD NATURE is her depiction
of teenaged family life. I am sure many mothers of teens will get a
shudder of recognition from the chaotic experiences of the Burkes. All the
little ploys, dilemmas, and hormones gone wild are recognizable and true
to life. Damien and Dane become caught up in the turmoil of Monica and her
children Amy, Sarah, and Jared. Damien finds Monica irresistible, and
Sarah, with the frank friendliness of a Downs Syndrome child, is
impossible to disappoint. Dane, brought into contact with the Burkes, also
begins to open up. Damien’s brother and his wife, entering the Burkes’
orbit late, seem a little too good to be true, but are welcome anyway as
beacons of sanity and warmth in the daily bedlam.
Most of the way through WILD NATURE, I was wondering why it is labeled a
Suspense book. The main suspense appears to be, how much trouble will Amy
cause? Until you read it, it will also be a mystery how group members
manage to find time for some tantalizing sex scenes among the rest of
their activities. Other than that, WILD NATURE is a straightforward book,
with no attempt to plumb the depths. We simply aren’t told everything
until the author decides it’s time. There is a very big surprise saved for
last.
WILD NATURE is all about people, and Janssen effortlessly fills her book
with the people you could meet any day in any upper middle class
community. Inga, Monica’s business partner, could have just walked out of
the shop next door. You know it’s all too likely your son is hanging out
with Burrito at the mall, complete with clothes you hope he won’t be
caught dead in. The farmers at the town meeting all look and sound like
farmers at any semi-countrified town meeting. The author’s eye for people
will keep her books worth reading. Giving a little more build-up to the
suspense would probably capture her a larger audience.
June 2003 Review
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