Customer Reviews

Off Road (The Archer Family Off Road)

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

 

 

Stories of spiritual and personal redemption are risky for a writer. Too often, they're either a morality play in print, or a "heartwarming tale" fit for an after-school special. Author Stephen Wright avoids both extremes to give readers a novel that's pleasingly uncomfortable.

We squirm as fast-rising entrepreneur Paul Archer tries and fails to fit in with the family he's distanced himself from. We then celebrate when Paul reconnects with his brother and father, even if his attempts are often strained and awkward. Wright reels us in because these moments feel real rather than contrived. As readers, we're better off for the effort. "Off Road" is a literary adventure worth taking.

[Full disclosure: the author asked me to help him edit this book, and I was glad to do it.]

Debut novels are always a risk. Some people are not called to be writers and they will not accept that fate until their first novel fails. Others have the talent and vision, but never bother mastering the basics of structure, plot, and character. Stephen Wright has not only written a powerful first novel, he has done so with the skill and finese many famous writers lack.

"Off-Road" chronicles the adventures large and small of Paul Archer, a struggling entrepeneur well on the way to fame and fortune who has sacrificed every relationship he has ever had in order to get there. When faced with choosing between an off-road camping trip with his estranged family or facing the fury of his current girlfriend, Paul heads off-road and learns a lot of life lessons he skipped over in childhood. Not only does he reconnect with his family, he repairs the relationship with his girlfriend and in doing so, matures into adulthood in a way he never expected.

Mastery is evident on every single page. The characters are both iconic and individual, the descriptions are lucid and riveting, cliches are absent, and the technical aspects of guns and big trucks are spot on. As if that were not enough, even the theology is fully inline with contemporary evangelical Christianity without ever becoming preachy or condescending.

It is a very rare thing to find a novel that excels in both writing craft and technical accuracy. To find such a novel in the debut work of a new writer approaches miraculous.

As a woman and mother who read this I'm not really interested in guns or big trucks, but the characters are riveting. It's men being men out in the woods, and it's interesting to watch the interaction. And living in Colorado I also liked the view of the Colorado mountains and camping.

But what made this good was seeing the characters, two brothers, trying to work out their differences and come together as a family. And then there was the suspense as to what the father was going to do and why they kept talking about the little sister who was murdered when they were kids.

I assumed this was a book for men, but I really enjoyed it as well. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Off-Road is a tale where the characters find themselves on an off-road adventure that mimics life's journey of risks, mistakes and learning curves. The author uses a contrast in characters to make the reader laugh hysterically, as well as suspense and adventure to keep the reader reeled-in. In the end, each character learns about themselves, each other, and God, while re-discovering their similarities and love for each other. Off-Road is a heartwarming, adventurous story about big trucks, guns and God, that will make you laugh and make you cry. It's a journey you'll be glad to have taken.

What I really liked about this book was the story about family. Not all families are as badly damaged as the Archers, but most of us know what it is when a family grows up and all the members go off in different directions. Except in this case they didn't just go off in different directions, they ran from each other and avoided each other and built their own worlds.

But like the book says, family are the people that come at 2:00 a.m. when you need them, and that's what happens here. The men are thrown together on a camping trip, an "off-roading" camping trip, and they find that they still love each other. And they have more in common than they thought. And they're still there for each other -- whether it's saving a truck from falling over a cliff or keeping someone from making the mistake of a lifetime.

I laughed at the beginning and got teary eyed at the end, but I never got bored.

There's also a great deal about faith that's very personal and interesting, and some stuff about guns and big trucks that's not really my cup of tea. But it was an interesting journey, and I'm glad I took it.

Steve Wright's Off Road is a book written by a man for a man.

Paul Archer devotes his whole self to his business, seeing relationships and commitment as a weakness that might result in financial insecurity. He vows he will never sink to the status of his "trailer park" family whom he has avoided for the last several years.

But when he is coerced into an off-road camping trip, he comes to identify with his estranged Bible thumping brother and big gun, big truck, dying father.

Steve brings his characters to life. The reader can almost see the old man with skin jiggling right below his chin. The road trip keeps you clinging to your seat so as not to go over a cliff with him.

I would gladly give this book five stars if I didn't let my Christianity get in the way. The one brother who claims to be a born-again Christian, drinks alcohol and takes God's name in vain. Although he only does this a couple of times, as a Christian,it offends me. I recommend this novel to those who take a broad aspect on religion.