Customer Reviews

1. Extraordinary Survivors
   2005-05-25, 2 of 3 found this review helpful.
   An idealistic young couple named Ruth and Mike Sullivan decide to run a group home for troubled teenagers. The home provides support for an ethnically diverse group of girls with troubled pasts while giving them the stability of a real home like an impromptu family. Although each of the girls has her share of problems, Ruth and Mike keep the home fairly stable until a mysterious girl named May Royale joins the house. She seems to have walked straight out of a Tennessee Williams' play with her complex past and emotionally tumultuous nature. Ruth and Mike suddenly find themselves challenged by problems they never could have anticipated.
   
   Edward Hower writes with incredible strength and frank language about people who live in the margins of society. The novel is narrated through Ruth's point of view. She comes from a privileged background and has a deep social awareness. However, she is still young (scarcely much older than some of the girls in the home) and finds herself tempted by May's very attractive and fascinating boyfriend Paco. As it turns out, Paco is revealed to be one of the most complex characters in the novel. He comes from a violent background having served time for his involvement in gang violence, but is trying to distance himself from this world and work rehabilitating drug-addicted children. The novel addresses contemporary racial and social issues with great awareness. Hower shows remarkable wisdom in his insights into human character. Their frailties, desires and passions are all played against each other in this rich and memorable story. With compassion and sincerity, the author writes about spousal relationships better than almost anyone else I've ever read. The novel also addresses the importance of art in all our lives. Hower deserves to be carefully read by a wide audience.