Review: Melissa Studdard's Novel "Six Weeks to Yehidah"
By K.L. Stover
"Six Weeks to Yehidah," Melissa Studdard's delightful debut novel, is one of the more metaphysical children's stories you will ever read. Bridging imaginary worlds of talking sheep, cloud kingdoms, magic labyrinths and spirit guides, "Yehida" comes to life in a kaleidoscopic array of color, sound and light.
Readers young and old alike will be transported via the sentient observations of main character Annalise as she experiences the transcendental metamorphosis of spiritual awareness.
The young girl's cloud-land excursion reads like an animated Magical Mystery Tour/Yellow Submarine phantasmagoria:
Annalise noticed that maracas and castanets hung from the trees like coconuts, and drums and cymbals littered the beach instead of rocks and shells.
Stranger still, a lifeguard sat atop his perch, blowing sunscreen from a tuba onto a crowd of frolicking children below. More toward the middle of the island, where the grass grew thick and the soil was rich, flutes, oboes, and clarinets rose from the ground like stalks of corn. And further still, in the distance, bells hung from vines like a new, musically-endowed version of flowers.
Incorporating familiar themes found in literary works ranging from The Wizard of Oz to The Shack to Harry Potter,"Yehidah" still manages to feel wondrously original. Studdard deftly weaves poetry and song throughout her engaging narrative, imbuing Annalise with a sophisticated intelligence rarely found in child characters.
While older children will find Annalise's adventure exciting, "Yehidah" has an adult sensibility. Studdard's vividly descriptive prose illuminates both the power of imagination and the existential questions found at the center of our shared human experience.
A certain requisite tension runs throughout "Yehidah," an irony found in the contrast of simple personal truths juxtaposed with the complexity of infinite interconnections between people and Nature.
Imagine a New Age Alice Through The Looking Glass--Lewis Carroll channeling Eckhart Tolle:
"How can I best contribute?" she asked, now just steps away from the book. "What can I do to help other people? How can I make the world a better place?"
And though it may seem that Annalise asked several questions, in reality, it was just one question that she asked, rephrased in different ways. For, everything had now begun to make sense: the webs she had seen, {... the strands of light between people and objects. It was all clear now. Each decision, each action, no matter how big or small, affected everything else.
By framing Annalise's soul search with elements of New Age, Christian, Buddhist and Hindu theology, this promising author re-examines the timeless ideas of universal truth.
Studdard's existential ideology could be succinctly encapsulated in two paragraphs:
"Enjoy the trip from now to now. Plant your feet firmly on a cloud. Tell the truth about everything, but sometimes tell it slant. Be kind to all living creatures, even yourself. Close your eyes before you leap. Steer your vehicle with wisdom. Make up a song to commemorate any event, no matter how big or small."
"Always remember, that the most beautiful and authentic worlds are inside your very own self, and you can always find them."
With this over-arching truth at its center, "Six Weeks to Yehidah" is a luminescent story with all the makings of a children's classic.
