Ann_Beman

The child of a meth dealer and a strung-out mother, Wavy is an ethereal creature. Parenting is completely absent, until it isn't; then it nurtures nothing but damage. The only tender, nurturing aspect of her gritty, gritty existence comes from Kellen, a tattoo-smattered gorilla of a biker dude who is 14 years Wavy's senior. He falls in love with her at first sight, and the older-than-her-years Wavy is smitten with Kellen as well. Despite the uncomfortably pedaphilic implications, their story works. Greenwood does a masterful job of creating sympathetic characters -- of showing us the wonderful amidst the ugly. I found myself asking, Am I rooting for the love story of a tattooed bruiser of a biker and the way underage child of a meth dealer? Yes. Yes, I am.

The author drew me in with deft and lyrical prose. She does a wonderful job of setting the scene in language that supports her characters. She describes the dramatic Welsh landscape as would a painter.

That said, the modern-day storyline felt more contrived than that of Arthurian times. I could not sympathize with any of the characters in Laura's storyline. I didn't quite buy any of the characters' motives, and I doubted their responses. The Megan storyline, on the other hand, seemed more lively, and I was more apt to buy into it because of its timeline and the mythology attached to its characters.

I imagine this book might appeal to readers interested in Welsh myths and history. Travelers to Wales might enjoy reading a novel set in the landscapes through which they're venturing.

While this book offers a unique and enlightening look into what is now known as bi-polar disorder, I wanted it to be more compelling in terms of its narrative. The father's journal was fascinating and both parts of the book -- his and Ms Baird's -- featured solid writing. But there was little craft. It laid the story out in a straightforward manner and thereby suffered from a monotone. I wanted less explanation and more reflection in Ms Baird's section.