A tough journey: Man finds true self in a year of personal crisis and tumult

My first look:  A Tough Journey by Evelyn Cole (Book of the Day at OnlineBookClub.org on Jan. 22, 2019) is a family and social drama about 31-year-old photojournalist Bernie Perkins who wants to use his profession to help those in need and in trouble in his community. He, however, is in a clash of perspectives and culture with his alpha Dad who owns the newspaper he works for. Bernie wants to write more about domestic violence and the shelter who helps battered women, among other social issues in his town. Dad's not really interested in that kind of stuff. But Bernie also has to grapple with family issues, such as the state of his marriage. This book is about a well-intentioned guy who wants to stand up for others. But maybe, he has to stand up for himself first. This is what I got after sampling the book. After having read lesler's review, however, I'm intrigued to learn that this is about the year that Bernie turned from nice-and-decent-neighbor Bernie, daddy's heir-in-waiting, to a fully grown person who has lived through and learned through difficulties and challenges. I agree with lesler's endorsement of Cole's writing. Her writing style and use of contemporary language reflects how people think and talk these days. Therefore, the dialogue is realistic and the character descriptions resonate with readers. I wonder about the focus of the novel's plot though. Successful novels that find a mass audience usually have a sharp focus on its major theme, letting subplots enrich, rather than distract from the main story.

Reviewed by lesler -- https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=74114

Bookshelves -- https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=270922