Mark Sedore

I found this book at my local library one day while browsing the shelves. It is amazing how great books are discovered that way!

Charles Perth is a music therapist. He helps people relearn how to play the piano after a stroke or accident. He is gifted with the ability to detect perfect pitch in every sound. Truly a rare gift. His younger brother Larry is also gifted. In Larry's case, his gift is in understanding the complex world of mathematics, logic and science. The brothers can almost be described as polar opposites - Charles is well-adjusted and socially balanced while Larry suffers extreme social awkwardness related to his Asperger syndrome. Larry has twice battled cancer and won. When he is diagnosed for a third time - this time with inoperable brain cancer- Larry wants to go out with a bang and comes up with the idea, with Charles help, to walk across the Arctic Circle from Canada to Russia, in a unprecedented campaign to raise funds for cancer research. When Larry's cancer advances and he is no longer able to make this historic walk, Charles decides to make the trek in Larry's place.

This story was a fascinating glimpse into the antagonistic relationship between the brothers, the desire in all of us to leave a legacy behind as a testament to our lives and the stark, barren openness and loneliness of Charles' journey at the top of the world. At 167 pages, Sedore has accomplished something that, in my opinion, many writers lack: the ability to write a story that captivates the reader, drawing them into the drama and experience it themselves, without a lot of unnecessary words. The fact this story was written in three short days - Sedore's Snowmen won the 2009 International 3-Day Novel Contest - is a testament in itself to Sedore's skill as a writer. Snowmen is Sedore's first published novel, what I hope will be the first of many more to come. My only complaint about the book has nothing to do with the story, the subject matter or the writing style. My complaint is with the font size - I swear they printed this in size 6 font. Good thing it was double spaced.

Overall, a truly remarkable story from a gifted new writer.… (mehr)