Jim Tilley

Ralph, a hard-charging, successful attorney, suffers a mild heart attack just months before a canoe trip he has planned on the River Rouge with friends whom he has not seen in forty-five years.

I thought this might be a French-Canadian version of Deliverance (another novel written by a poet) but this canoe trip is just a backdrop for the story that unfolds. A story that includes political intrigue, environmental confrontations, and parenting challenges in a society grappling with issues of gender identity.

Like James Dickey, James Tilley has a poet’s skill for vividly painting the landscape from white water rapids to New York skylines to Cape Cod sunrises.

While Ralph is the primary character, this story has an ensemble of folks (men and women) confronting life’s “big” issues.

Ralph, wealthy and alone, reaches out to Lynn, the love he lost decades ago.

Lynn, separated from her husband, Jean-Pierre must decide whether to give up on her marriage and take a chance with Ralph, who has been less than trustworthy.

Jules, transgender son of Lynn and Jean-Pierre is trying to make his way in a brave new world and desperately wants to keep his parents together.

There are no easy answers. No pat solutions.

Tilley does a great job of writing about work. Not an easy thing to do. His characters are successful lawyers, engineers, politicians, scientists. He doesn’t overwhelm us with minutiae. He provides just enough detail so we can understand these complex characters.

Tilley, a masterful poet, has crafted an excellent debut novel.

… (meer)

Jim Tilley’s book “Against the Wind” was a bit complex and somewhat challenging for me to follow. I reread a few pages of the book for my own clarity. Following six disparate characters added interest once I was able to understand their individual issues in light of the entire story. Tilley was able to addressing several of today’s social and political issues, sexual orientation, Canadian politics and history, environmental concerns. Not understanding Canada’s politics, but knowing that the environmental issues of energy generation, social issues and family conflicts are important to us all, I appreciated the books touching on each of these themes. The family structure of grandparents, foster are or relatives raising a child with challenges is too common in today’s society; though the telling of Jule’s story is touching.

Having many years ago personally taken a 5 day wilderness Oregon Rogue River rafting trip (not the Canadian Riviere Rouge), I was intrigued by the canoe trip. Although it was not a major part of the story, for me it was a reliving of a once in a lifetime event. It provided a background in this book, connecting relationships that were important and setting the stage for the telling of the individual stories. I found Tilley’s debut novel well done and look forward to his next book.

I was provided a complementary copy of the book by the author It had no influence upon this review.… (meer)