Contemporary Literary Fiction: Crossing the Line
Eva Pasco
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crossing the Line
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2024
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Author Susan Sage’s ‘ A Mentor and Her Muse’ is a reader’s psychological mine field. The lines of distinction between mentor and muse are blurred, skewing Maggie Barnett’s purpose for shanghaiing her protégé, Taezha Riverton, to embark on a summer road trip together for the primary purpose of honing Tae’s writing ability.
Along this journey, the author cleverly drops bread crumbs via Maggie’s journal writing or her dissociative thoughts: failed relationships, writer’s block, poor self-image, flitting from one idea to another, kleptomania, and what she was doing on Hocking Hill Bridge.
The reader not only questions Maggie’s judgment and suppressed intents toward Tae, but unwittingly becomes her judge and jury.
All is not what it seems in Tae’s life either. Tyler, Serafina, and Quintana play an important role in fostering her hopes and disappointments. Then, there’s Maggie’s sister Caroline, and the mysterious Sulie who vex her to no end.
Besides crossed lines and twisted outlooks, the author adds authenticity to the initial setting of Detroit and Flint Michigan by bringing up the aftermath of the Sixties’ riots.
True to life, the outcome of the story is up for speculation, allowing the reader to suppose. In my supposing, I care more for how Tae will continue to hold her ground.
I heartily recommend ‘A Mentor and Her Muse’ for the musings it inspires.
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