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| Author: | Kate Niles | | Publisher: | GreyCore,2003 | | Price: | $22.95 | | Pages: | 224 | | Reviewer: | Julie Mars |
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THE BASKET MAKER centers around two children, both in great pain, who find each other, as people in pain usually do. One is a boy who has become a burn victim and one is a girl who is being abused. The contrast between the care received by the burn victim, whose injuries of course are obvious, and the care received by the abused girl, is startling. Even those closest to her, including her mother and her younger brother, manage to look away just enough so as not to have to act. After all, by withdrawing when we are still only in the suspicion stage, we can avoid the responsibility that comes with certainty. When help comes for the young girl in this story, it is from characters on the periphery of her life. But in order for each of them to look, see, and ultimately act, they will first have to decide whether or not they are ready come to terms with their own demons. Niles´ insights into the psychology of motivation are dead on here, and the conflicts these characters--a neighbor, the mother of the burn victim, and the spirit of an Indian Chief--endure become subplots that are fascinating in and of themselves. THE BASKET MAKER is an excellent read, for a variety or reasons. The story is compelling and presents well-drawn characters we can really care about. The regional setting in the southwest is vivid and almost irresistible. The threads that move back and forth in time between the time of the story (Nixon-era) and the history of the people that lived in the region previously, enrich an already rich plot. And, finally, the issues that arise out of the story render it important and unforgettable.
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