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Reviewed by Sandy Masia for Readers' Favorite
Frank Cudgill is a self-made man, a factory owner and farmer. Wealthy and upstanding in the community, he has no enemies and he is admired. When he and his wife, Lizzie, are unable to conceive they decide to adopt. They get a boy whom they name Daniel. Daniel is troublesome while growing up, he has psychopathic and antisocial tendencies which threaten the Cudgills' pristine reputation within the community. When Frank’s wife dies, he soon dies from what appears to be a heart attack. His friend and cardiologist, Dr. Mark Foster, has a feeling that something isn't right about Frank’s death, that a grief-induced heart attack isn’t a plausible cause of death. In Dr. Mark Foster's search for the answers, a web of truths and secrets is unveiled about the Cudgills.
The Prodigal is exquisitely written. The Prodigal brims with stellar detail and color that pull you into real experience. It simulates the feel of the life of the country, you can smell the flowers, the dirt, and feel the sun on your skin. The detail H.C. Maree breathes into her story flows into her main characters in what is an impressive feat. You not only get a world that feels real, but characters and lives that throb with realism. H.C. Maree has achieved something rounded with depth and life here.
While the pacing is slow and at times the story meanders, the main plot is punctuated by powerful emotions, which can be quite moving. The Prodigal is a memorable read with an ability to evoke intense wanderlust. The story might not be the strength of the book, but the prose is. There is a harmony to Maree's prose that is warm, mellow, mature, pristine and bittersweet. The pleasure of this book is in its construction and its ability to sink down into the souls and soak your heart. The Prodigal is a pleasantly picturesque read. With The Prodigal, H.C. Maree reminds us of the beauty of prose and pacing, and that story, although necessary, isn't everything. Impressive through and through.
