Customer Reviews

Grey Pine

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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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Phillip didn't have the picture perfect childhood. His father is in love with the bottle and his mom passed away. When Mount Saint Helen erupts, Philips first thought is to learn everything he can about this massive outburst as he can. The disaster hits home and from that point on he finds himself in situations he never could have fathomed.

Phillip is one of those characters that feels oh-so-real. He's the type of person that you can relate to and one who you can't help but like right off the bat. I give this book two thumbs up!

Grey Pine tells the story of Phillip, a young man with an alcoholic father and a mother who died of cancer. The story starts with the Mount Saint Helens eruption and resultant ash fall around the surrounding areas. If you've ever been through the aftermath of a natural disaster, Phillip's account of cleaning up his yard and home will bring those feelings back. I was reminded of the evacuations and devastation left behind after Hurricans Rita and Ike here in Southeast Texas.

The ash left behind after the volcano eruption reminded me of the scenery in Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Along with the natural disaster, Phillip is dealing with severe personal problems, namely depression. Grey Pine is very well executed. I found myself compelled to keep reading, even though the book made me sad at times.

Grey Pine is a book that will make you think. It made me think about people's prejudices, the differences in medicine now and thirty years ago, parent-child relationships, addiction, and domestic violence. I don't usually read this kind of book (I'm more into escapism reading), but I enjoyed Grey Pine. It reminded me a lot of The Road, in a good way.

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This is an intense, shockingly intimate tale of one man as he endures the psychosomatic trauma of clinical depression. GREY PINE will draw you into the depths of the mind of Phillip Stark as he struggles to clear the ashes from the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. Ashes which cover his home and plague his psyche.

My journey through Grey Pine with Phillip, a struggling young science teacher, was unsettling at times, but hugely rewarding. Winetsky has very effectively interwoven the darkness of mind and spirit that Phillip battles, with Nature's devastation following the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. The entire landscape is deeply covered in fine ash, and the sky never seems to clear. In this murky setting, Phillip is pummeled by life with an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, lost opportunities, and failing relationships. At times my frustration with his inability to move on - to make positive decisions - was strong, but Phillip does battle through - he finds the strength he needs within himself. This was a fine read.