Blog and Book Reviews

“Distance Too Far” is Ms. Pryor’s first foray into the literary world of narrative fiction for (YA) young adult readers and she definitely hits the mark with this title. While her style has a note of pedantry which seems to indicate to me that this work is actually a memoir in disguise, it conducts the reader back through time, and fuels the work with a nostalgia for a time long past. But it is also a time that tempered and tested our heroine Beth, and she has never succumbed to being less-than-extraordinary. As a type of memorial to her mother, [Take note of the dedications page] “Distance Too Far” operates above the cloud line and is exemplary at being both inspirational and entertaining while never becoming a cloying morality play while taking the reader along on Beth’s journey. Overt flourishes of couplet poetry gush between perfectly controlled narrative, directed at times by the sparse but informative dialog that takes place between the characters. There is a scholarly wisdom behind this strategy as the work takes on a curious rhythm that transcends either approach which could have made for banal characters, and limited rising tension as the tale progressed. “Distance Too Far” is both a labor or love and a work of art. It can also be viewed as the author’s vehicle through which we may better absorb the journey of struggle, survival and ultimately the achievements, that are lightly filtered through Beth, the protagonist as we read. Beth, the plucky young teen is introduced as a woman-child of tender years. Yet because of her moxy and curiosity whe quickly cuts the apron strings which would have moored her to a familial history of being family and religion centric, without regard of her individual personhood, desires, and zeal for thwarting such smothering authority. “Distance Too Far” is a slow burn of emotion that comes from this author's oeuvre, nearly perfected and even though Ms. Pryor seems to have focused upon her narrative time and place loosely, it works to make the tale (set in the early 1960’s somewhere America) more of a literary canvas for her to paint her feelings using Beth as the colors. This is brilliant because good art should be timeless and this narrative, though set in the American era known for racial progressiveness, is a quiet tale of personal choice and singular revolt against familial conformity, and ultra-religious normative expectations. It uses the history of the decades as a backdrop that Beth traverses as she becomes more educated, skilled, and gains her own sense of agency to further her goals along the way. “Distance Too Far” reaches critical mass with the poem “Set Aside”. It is Simple yet complex in the way it, and others within the book, evoke a resonating pathos and sublime nuance concerning Beth’s arch of history contained in the linear narrative. Buying a book tells an author that their time was well spent, more than simply extolling their talent. Be there for this book because it is brought to you by a mature, female, African American author, educator, and business owner -- who, if you read closely -- is here for you. So, confess, heal, and be there for someone. This work will move you, and like all great works of art, readers will return to it again, and again.