Rare Blend of Mystery, Magic, Metaphor, and Melody - Saints in Limbo by River Jordan

I just finished reading Saints in Limbo by River Jordan. I was lucky enough to hear her read and talk some about her life and writing this June during the Women's National Book Association's annual conference in Nashville. She is a full-blown delight, who talks a mile-a-minute, and you don't want her to stop. I can't put my finger on the exact genre - this book seems to be in a class by itself. So entrancing is her brand of fiction that you want it to be true, and perhaps it is.Rare Blend of Mystery, Magic, Metaphor, and Melody River Jordan has an amazing way of pulling you in and making you believe mysterious, other-worldly `things' in Saints in Limbo, and I don't quite know how she does it. (But then that's the genius of her writing.) I think it sneaks up on you while you're sleeping, while her captivating characters are playing their tunes and haunting your dreams. Her story is compellingly melodic and a deep look into the heart and soul of human relationships - well,
maybe even some not so human..."Strange what age does to a person. Sets him free of every regular demand and then turns right around and ties him down again in fear." These words by Jordan are what this book exemplifies, and as we, readers, emerge ourselves in this tale as members of an extended family in Echo, Florida, we all struggle with this perplexing notion. River coaxes us to come `round, too, as she nudges her characters toward enlightenment.Now who would believe Velma, an old southern woman, can't venture beyond the length of the colored strings she's tied to her front porch? But you begin to realize these strings are the ties that bind, her memories. Then Jordan wants you to believe in the magical beauty of transformation as the simple, smooth rock Velma was given by a strange, shape-shifting fellow, who has inexplicable way of appearing out of nowhere and disappearing into thin air at will, glows and pulsates toward self-discovery for everyone in her riveting sto
ry...And you do believe. And we know the spirit is set free when we stop hiding from the truth and allowing fear to overwhelm us.Early on, Velma's son Rudy, who loves to love women and hasn't done much more than that with his life, and ultimately realizes he's never given his mother much supportive thought, says, "Can't bury the past, Mama. It'll just keep pushing its way to the surface. You know that. And whatever those things are - scouts, you call `em - well, they'll just come around trying to dig it up." In the end, Rudy, understands the veracity of his own words as he teeters between known and unknown spaces and places. And so do we.Saints in Limbo should be made into a movie. It's heaven and hell, choice and redemption, growth and stagnation, fear and acceptance, and faith and denial all rolled into one heck of a lyrical ride through the enigmatic power of hope and love, where you're transported to another place, not another time. This story is for all time.

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