2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read, February 25, 2008
This review is from: Grey Pine (Paperback)
Amidst the ashes, Phillip really wants to live and thrive and as I read deeper into the book, I couldn't help but cheer him on. The story is told from the "inner" voice of the main character. As read the first fifty pages, I wondered if I could keep up with the intensity of his voice, yet the more I read, the more I liked his character and wanted him to succeed in realizing himself. This book was a great read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Rising from the Ash, October 11, 2011
This is the story of one man's spiral into a deep depression - and his struggles to fight it, even as he continues to give in to its pull. It's a fascinating psychological study of mental illness and the effect it has not only on the sufferer but those around him, as well.
Following the death of his mother, Phillip's father falls into severe alcoholism. When he's drinking, he becomes verbally abusive and Phillip begins to see his father as two different personalities ... the father whom he loves and the stranger who takes over his body when alcohol enters the picture. As he struggles to try to stop his father from destroying himself, he begins the blame others for the circumstances he finds himself in.
The effect on Phillip is nothing short of heartbreaking. He stops eating properly, he can't sleep, he withdraws from friends and family and he self-medicates with ulcer medication. He also begins to exhibit some compulsive tendencies when the eruption of Mount St. Helens leaves the area under a blanket of ash and Phillip spends all his waking moments working to clear up the mess in his yard and on the street.
I found this book interesting on several levels. First, I remember vividly the mess we all dealt with here in eastern Washington following the eruption of the volcano in 1980. Life basically stopped for several days as we dug ourselves out of inches and inches of gray powder. Reading Grey Pine, I can see how this gloominess could cause sadness in those already suffering from depression. I would compare it to seasonal affective disorder, in which the darkness winter can throw those afflicted by it into melancholy.
I also enjoy reading books that have a psychological milieu. I find it fascinating reading an author's take on these issues and theories, especially those who have done their research and know something about the disorders.
Last month, I read the book Maria Juana's Gift by this same author. I very much enjoyed that story, too, and you can read that review here. He is currently working on another book and I hope to have the opportunity to also read that one. For more information, you can visit his website.
T. Lloyd Winetsky wrote Grey Pine in 2007. The book was reprinted in 2009, just in time for the 30th anniversary of the eruption. The updated version includes photos Mr. Winetsky took outside his home in Othello, Washington, where he was living in 1980. Those familiar with my profile know I now live in Othello, although I was living about an hour northeast during the ash fall.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Patient and Be Rewarded, October 5, 2011
I liked GREY PINE very, very much, though it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be more about the Mt. Helen's event and science. The character of Philip was a complete surprise, but over shorts spells of returning to the book I stuck with him, and eventually could imagine what it would be like to be facing the volcanic eruption at the same time my life was falling to pieces. I applaud the novel's deep psychology. It illustrates how our moods are effected in different ways by a natural disaster. The ash was a wonderful metaphor for the elusive load we carry in our psyches when personal catastrophes have occurred. Philip keeps shoveling, but he has more difficulty shoveling his own burdens from his life. I also like the way Winetsky gently handled Philip's recovery. There were no big promises, but enough sunlight, and the introduction of a wonderful older character who becomes his friend. Also, the role of the cat Ali is brilliant. It keeps the reader in touch with Philip's inner man (not the one who used cuss words all the time and was angrily talking to Stephen, but the person we want badly to survive. Thank you, Terry Winetsky. I found your story encouraging.
Karen Dahood, author of SOPHIE REDESIGNED [...]
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