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 Neighbors
Published: 1993
Neighbors
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Publication Reviews "Mountainair author pens sequel to popular 'Neighbors'" Quirky, funny, heartwarming -- those are not terms one
usually expects in a description of a mystery thriller. But Joan Leslie
Woodruff is not an ordinary writer, and Ghost In the Rainbow is not a
formulaic book. Woodruff's unique, wry humor still comes through in Ghost, but this tale includes more graphic violence than was depicted in her earlier novels. The faint-of-heart may be relieved that the gore is generally off-stage, but the horror we imagine might be worse than what is actually detailed. The realism of Woodruff's characters and situations may cause anyone who reads her bio to say, "Ah, yes." With degrees and a professional background in medicine and therapy, and experience in assisting police and working with substance abusers, Woodruff portrays such elements quite expertly in her fiction. A keen observer who has lived in various locales in both California and New Mexico, Woodruff's settings also smack true. Her unusual word choices paint vivid pictures, while keeping the text sparse. The protagonist of Ghost in the Rainbow is a new character, Myra Whitehawk, a cousin to Dana Whitehawk, whom readers met in Neighbors. Like Dana, Myra is on a quest. Woodruff said, "Myra possesses a charismatic personality. She is an American Indian raised in poverty and unstable surroundings, who manages to pull surprises from an empty bag of tricks." Myra encounters horrific danger while she is seeking to find her path, her self, meaningful relationships, and sobriety. A demonic villain, grizzly murder, a prison riot, stalking, kidnapping, and mental torture are among the nasties in the plot. Even so, Woodruff serves up enough hope, enough uplifting Indian wisom to make to books a good postive read. Another of Woodruff's books, The Shiloh Renewal, dealt with Civil War violence, and the internal torment of a brain-damaged character. However, the author seems to reach a new level of terror and mystery in Ghost in the Rainbow. The Shiloh Renewal received very positive reviews when it was released, and it continues to delight readers, as reported on Amazon (books). Neighbors also earned a 5-star rating at Barnes and Noble's web site, and Ghost is likely to follow. Woodruff's first published book, Traditional Stories and Foods: An American Indian Remembers, is out of print and highly sought after among cookbook lovers. This paperback book's Native American folklore has attracted attention from various quarters, including from the entertainment industry (EMI Capitol Records). Woodruff has also written a number of short stories, which have been published in a variety of Indian and mainstream magazines, and then anthologized in literary collections. Her work and biography are included in the reference books Something About the Author, and in The Favorites. A licensed occupational therapist (and counselor), Woodruff worked in clinical and hospital settings in California before returning to her native New Mexico. She has been a correspondent writing feature articles for various publications in New Mexico, and she served as a board member for the Torrance County DWI Council. She has a private practice as a forensic counselor. Woodruff's work is listed on various websites, including her own at home.earthlink.net/~seyhanjo/index,html. Look for Ghost in the Rainbow published in paperback by Hats Off Books, Tucson AZ. The striking cover artwork is by Mountainair artist Jesse Davidson, and favorable comments quoted came from author Timothy Wyllie, actor Miles O'Keeffe, and a former New Mexico prosecutor. Reviewed by Laura L. Klure Whispering Wind: American Indian Past & Present, It is not always possible to choose one’s neighbors. Even if you have checked out a neighborhood in advance, moving to a different home can mean that your are in for some surprises. Such is the case for the heroine of a fascinating new novel by Native American writer Joan Leslie Woodruff. The protagonist of Neighbors, Dana Whitehawk, cuts loose from a hectic existence in Los Angeles and transplants herself into a rather unpopulated area in New Mexico. Whitehawk is seeking solitude, but instead she finds a renewed interest in life through contacts with her odd new Native American neighbors. Her strange adventures with these neighbors include warding off an enemy, attending tribal ceremonies, and such seemingly mundane activities as watching TV and drinking coffee. The beauty of Woodruff’s novel in in the language. Rich metaphors decorate her descriptions, and conversations between characters twist interestingly with unusual, but believable, phrases and expressions. The tale is far from a comedy, but Woodruff imbues even ordinary scenes with a delightful wry humor. The story proceeds rapidly, with a quirky, slightly foreign cadence. Unlike some frustrating slice-of-life stories, the plot reaches of kind of denouement. Even so, the reader is left wanting more, perhaps in a sequel. Woodruff does not neatly tie up all the novel’s loose ends, or answer all the reader’s possible questions. Her treatment of the magical-real boundary, for example, stems from Native American sensibilities, rather than from conventional rules familiar to Anglo Americans. Readers may wonder why Whitehawk is so slow to figure out the mystery behind her neighbors. However, these questions do not keep the book from being thoroughly enjoyable. The writer is obviously a lover of animals. Sympathetic animal characters provide a charming motif, and are the source of much of the book’s humor. The references to aspects of Native
American cultures in the Southwest are authentic, informative and
compelling. Much of the material apparently stems from experiences in the
author’s own background. Born This is a spiritual saga, palatably told with a light, undogmatic touch. Both comparatively short and generally upbeat, Neighbors in a good read for someone with a tight schedule who is seeking a lift.
Whispering Wind: American Indian Past & Present, Vol. 25, No. 6 / Winter
1992
A Very Good Day For a Cup of Coffee “I thought I would be living there until my feet turned skyward and some generic coroner tied a tag on my toe,” she relates. “The, on a rare day when I could see the sky and mountains peering down upon my basin metropolis, I lost it.” She realized she wasn’t tied to the smoggy city where she grew up. Her exuberance at that realization -- which she expressed by “standing on her roof waving a pair of scissors ... saying she’d cut the cord, things like that” -- delayed her departure. The neighbors she had lived next to for 13 years but never met “put in a 911 on her.” Those neighbors are not the ones referred to in the title. After two weeks in a psychiatric ward, Dana heads east: “Into Arizona. I didn’t like Arizona. On to New Mexico. New Mexico I liked.” She ends up buying a house on 40 acres “in the mountains north of Santa Fe” from and old man named Sam, “who should’ve had a tag on his goes decades ago.” He becomes one of her two best friends. “Hope you like your neighbors,” he tells her. Those neighbors turn out to be a rooster and a handful of hens; an Indian boy about 8 years old; an old Indian medicine man who is always suggesting that Dana make coffee and who loves to watch Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons and I Love Lucy reruns on Dana’s television; the medicine man’s much younger, rather grouchy wife, who teaches Dana how to gather clay and make pottery, and a friendly but less than fastidious mule who's name is, appropriately, Mule. Mule becomes Dana’s other best friend. Together, Dana’s neighbors introduce her to the customs and ways of living of the Pueblo Indians, and she changes. Soon her ways resemble theirs more than the city dweller who “lost it.” But there is something strange about these neighbors, something Dana senses and begins to believe despite her unwillingness to do so. It is something you’ll have to read the book to find out about. Neighbors is as tightly woven as a good Indian rug, and just as valuable. Joan Leslie Woodruff has “an old stubborn Indian background.” Her father, from Mississippi, and her mother, from Tennessee, met in Albuquerque where her father was stationed at Sandia Base and her mother was in nurse’s training at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The Estancia Valley CITIZEN, Vol. 35, Number 13, April 1, 1993.
Review by journalist/reporter, Laura L. Klure, Riverside, California. Readers Reviews Come visit with us. The neighbors may be a little different, but then, so are mine. Find out what The Happy Hens are doing. Breath in the rare air. Brilliant in readability. Ms. Woodruff is special. -- Thomas Tetzlaff A hilarious and heartfelt detour through New Mexico's hinterlands. Its portrayal of the protagonist's pueblo neighbors leaves more stereotyped "colorful native characters" whimpering in the dust. -- An Amazon.com customer Joan Leslie Woodruff writes with a voice that warms the heart and makes the reader smile. I couldn't put this book down. The characters are quirky and entertaining and the story held me in its grip from page one. -- An Amazon.com customer Joan Leslie Woodruff is one of the most refreshing, original voices in current American fiction. Her books rank well in the company of such writers as Barbara Kingsolver and Amy Tan. "Neighbors" is a quirky story, humorous yet spiritually deep. The Native American sensibilities are authentic, derived from the writer's ancestry and her experiences in New Mexico. The heroine, Dana Whitehawk, moves from Los Angeles to New Mexico, where she discovers that some of her 'neighbors' are not ordinary folks. The beauty of Woodruff's tale is in the language. She explores the boundary between magic and reality, leaving readers to make up their own minds about some of the book's questions. Both comparatively short and generally upbeat, "Neighbors" is a good read for someone with a tight schedule who would like a "feel good" book. If you like this one, try "The Shiloh Renewal" -- it's topically different, but told with similar skill. -- An Amazon.com customer Neighbors, an enchanting book about a woman from California who moves to New Mexico, captured my interest from the outset.. Her adventures take the reader into realms of the psyche and ancient times which sparkle with contemporary dialogue and surprises on nearly every page.The author's handling of the characters in the wonderful New Mexican landscape color the scenes with easily imaginable situations even when you are not sure if you are in present time. -- An Amazon.com customer "Neighbors" is a book I read after living around, and learning the places and people of New Mexico. "Neighbors" does something neat. It transports you to the dirt roads, the yards, the homes of people living simple, straighforward yet spiritual lives in the Southwest. Not unlike "Shiloh", her latest work, Woodruff succeeds with her invitation for you to visit and learn from her story. And a great story "Neighbors" is... Intelligent, entertaining... I like Woodruff's work because it is extremely true to the Southwest - and the people who could possibly be your "Neighbors". -- An Amazon.com customer |
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