Book Review: Fires of Waterland

The Fires of Waterland

Raymond Alexander Kukkee

321 pages

Redmund Productions

$13.50

Available in all formats through Redmund Productions.

“A  family forced to move  by society, fragmented by the past, dysfunction, and poverty, leaves a young boy to fend his way through the complexities of  life the only way he can. Although temporarily taken in by caring folks and meeting Livvy, who becomes a lifelong friend,  Fletcher is soon snatched away and plunged into the life of an orphan….

“His desires are fulfilled, but tragedy, the complexities, and the destructive darkness of human nature surface in the Fires of Waterland.”

Twists, turns, and secrets abound in this fictional story of a small town gone to seed. The tale is told from the viewpoint of Fletcher, looking back to what some would consider the good ol’ days, but that’s not the case with Fletcher. There was one bright spot in his younger years, his friend Livvy, and even she’s gone now.

This masterpiece, by Canadian author Raymond Kukkee, is reminiscent of a John Steinbeck novel. The language, the setting, the characterization are impeccably woven into what promises to be a classic coming-of-age novel. The reader can’t help but relate to Fletcher, and feel his every emotion, as one travels through his world as a young boy and into adulthood.

Evocative and thought provoking, Fires of Waterland is an amazingly insightful debut novel, and Mr. Kukkee is an extremely talented writer. One can only eagerly await his next project.