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Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
Swim a Crooked Line by Al X. Griz is a novel about society, about the issues that affect us all. John Jenkins and his wife Barbara own a highly productive traditional farm, spreading across 500 acres in Western Nebraska. Their livestock are free-range and their crops are successful as is the way they raised their family. Dee D, their daughter, heads to Lincoln on a scholarship and is about to learn about the harsh reality of the real world. Following an injury that ended his football career, Chad enlists in the army and is set to face horrors that no man should ever have to see. Ricardo Ramirez is a star footballer, an only son of a single father. He eventually ends up in Nebraska on a scholarship, where his life takes some unexpected turns. His father supports him as much as he can, but he has his own problems to face in LA, and Ricardo’s best friend is facing his own issues as a soldier.
I found Swim a Crooked Line by Al X. Griz a little difficult to get into to start with as I felt it didn’t seem to go anywhere. However, once the story picked up, and it does, it became a joy to read. It’s a complex novel of current issues that follows the lives and fortunes, or otherwise, of a handful of deeply written characters and, as I got further into the story, I could see why so much time and care had been taken at the start to set the scene – it did help. This is a very well-written novel that covers a lot of issues we should all be familiar with. I believe that Al X. Griz has dealt with them very well, at the same time weaving a number of different stories together. Very good book and I would be interested in reading more.
