Paul H. Deepan
Outskirts Press (2010)
ISBN 9781432756703
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (1/11)
This is a book that will have something for all- fantasy, loss, beliefs and maturing. While I’m not a big fan of fantasy, this book did capture my attention.
Jake, one of the main characters, is dealing with the upcoming death of his mother from cancer. His father, whom at this time he resents, has resigned himself to her death. Jake has hope and is constantly looking on the internet for ways she can be saved. He has gotten to the point that none of his high-school friends want to be around him because they don’t know what to say. Only one person thinks she can help him save his mother – Jenny, whom everyone in school thinks is weird because she always dresses in black.
After a big blow-out with his dad one night, Jenny appears and transports Jake to a world he never dreamed about. Even though the characters in this world are very unusual, Jake finds them to be compassionate and caring. Jake learns that he must put some things behind him and learn to open up to new experiences.
“The Fruit of the Dendragon Tree” is a wonderful book about love, believing, loss and compassion. The author’s ability to describe her characters and events make them so real. Sometimes when we are faced with reality, especially death, we go into our own fantasy world.
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