Carole McDonnell’s Wind Follower draws the reader right into the narrative as we meet Loic who is speaking. 

  Loic tells us he will enlighten us first regarding how Krika died. 

  Kirka’s shaman father brought Kirka before the elders at the Spirit Shrine, the sacrificial mound called Skull Place by the clan.  He was bound, the skin of his face had already been flayed away, he was weeping, begging and crying out for mercy. 

  While Loic was somewhat surprised, he forgave Kirka, who could bear such pain with weeping.  Kirka has disobeyed his father’s demand that he render homage to the spirits and now he was to be put to death as part of the monthly sacrifice ritual.

   Kirka lay where he had fallen beneath a hail of stones. 

  Focused on Loic tyu Taer and Satha tya Monua a married couple from different tribes.  Wind Follower depicts a diversity of key tribes revealed in the account.  Tribes are separated both by race and skin color.

  Tribal communities include white skinned, light skinned and dark skinned clans.   Moreover, it is not just skin color which sets the several groups away from each other, each tribe or clan is fixated by its own set of fairly unyielding and ironclad, mutual values, principals and morals in addition to singularity, social customs and even physical appearance beyond light or dark skin tones. 

  One group supports an Asian impact, while another seems as more classic African, while a third delivers the sense it is a balance of more than one racial group.  Plus, there is even a mystic clan made up of an array of beings who intermingle with the native peoples in disparate manner, some kindly, some apparently with no distinction and some not wholly magnanimous.

  Loic is from the clan having pale skin tone while Satha’s physical appearance is quite dark. 

  Writer McDonnell draws upon her broad reaching store of research into early African tribal practices in order to better set down a portrayal of the rites, traditions and traits of the diverse factions in order to present a realistic clash of societies where social mores and customs are absolute law. To disturb a cultural more might well lead to death of the individual, or even to warfare among the groups.  

  When the affluent Doreni Pagatsu, son of the king's First Captain first sees Satha, a kind, dark skinned beauty, from a poor Theseni clan in the marketplace he determines that he wants her to be his spouse. 

  Satha’s gentle kind-heartedness extended towards some members of Loci's clan is viewed grudgingly by several of the clan and will ultimately lead to her being cruelly raped. 

  The brutal attack causes the death of her first child.  Loic and Satha will be endlessly at odds emotionally, psychologically, and ultimately physically because of the loss.

 Jam-packed with fantasy nuances Wind Follower is an account of earliest African people, their principles and their customs, culture and way of life in which the notion of forebears and spirit reverence are interwoven with a persuasive Christian message.   Writer McDonnell does not shy from matters relating to religious belief, ethnic group or of race.  The location of the chronicle presented in the form of fantasy; serves to cause the tale to be even more out of the commonplace.

  First person accounts can be tricky to pull off with reliability.  Not only does Writer McDonnell utilize first person as her practice for getting this storyline recorded, although, on the pages of  Wind Follower she skillfully intwines the individual stories of the duo of main characters: Loic and Satha, and manages to use first person successfully not once but twice.

   Loic and Satha each relate their own part of the tale.  That McDonnell is an accomplished author and master storyteller is palpable as she adeptly manages to give each character their own distinct voice.

  The various cultures, locales and characters as represented by novelist McDonnell are believable.   Wind Follower is a chronicle in which the reader is drawn immediately into the prominent, wholly established and even, at times, cataclysmic setting of Ibeni, Doreni, Thesini.

  Loic is a man driven when he sets out to discover and assassinate the man who abused his wife.   Misfortune strikes Satha once more during the time her husband is clashing with dark forces in his pursuit to locate Noam.

  Satha is captured and marketed into slavery.  Loic too has much the same fate as the pair suffer anguish, not knowing the whereabouts of the other, whether they will ever reunify or if they will even again return to their homes.  Wind Flower is a sociologist’s dream novel.  The volume presents diverse cultures, with all their nuances of qualities and identity in a persuasive and most gripping read that brings the reader to a larger, perhaps deeper understanding regarding social mores and status of taboo and social sanctions without appearing preachy or causing the reader to feel overawed in the intricacies.

  Not for everyone; I am happy to recommend for those who enjoy a novel sure to bring about some thinking as well as reading.  Wind Follower is a dandy choice for gifting inquiring minds, for the young adult book list, public library, sociology class and mature readers.

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Reviewed by Molly Reviews BOOKS       molly   martin

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  About the Author

 Carole McDonnell is the author of the novels Wind Follower, My Life as an Onion, Daughters of Men, and The Constant Tower.

 Her stories have appeared in many distinguished story collections and anthologies.

 She was born in Jamaica, West Indies and emigrated with her family to the United States when she was a child. While in Jamaica, she was raised by assorted relatives including her minister grandfather.