Book Review: Reason for Being

Reasons for Being. Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, February 15, 2014, Trade Paperback and Kindle, 442 pages.

Reviewed by Sierra Kay.

Reason for Being by Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom is a novel about a woman, Phoenix Porter, who is living a partial life, fighting the effects of a brutal past. Each event has cleaved deeper and deeper and separated her from the essence of her being called “Spirit.” Together Spirit and Phoenix tell the tale through dreams and life situations—recounting what led to Phoenix’s current state, its impact on her life, and how she manages to become whole once again.

Phoenix works at a coffee shop with her best friend, Marley, and lives with her other friend, Sabine. She struggles with her life’s direction and purpose.

As she watches her friend, Sabine, reach out and realize her dreams, more questioning and a bout of depression arise within Phoenix.

When a family death drives Phoenix back home, her issues bubble up to demand attention, pushing her already unstable life into chaos. Phoenix, with the support of her family and friends, slowly peels back the layers of past hurts leaving her exposed, but providing oxygen needed to heal.

Reason for Being is not a quick read. This is one of those novels that require you to commit, to take the time to settle in with the characters. If the reader does that, he/she will engage in a heavily poetic novel that displays the talents of a craftsman of the English language.

There are times when Mallory Raven-Ellen Backstrom’s writing is as clear and beautiful as springtime in a meadow. You’re amazed at the beauty around you and inhale the delicate natural musk to make it a part of your very being. At other times, her writing is very hard work.

Overall, Reason for Being sometimes lacked clarity and direction, but never creativity with turns of phrases reminiscent of Sonia Sanchez.