ADVERTISEMENT
Searching for True North
Denise McDonald, Author
Journalist Alex O’Connell is thinking about life beyond newspapers. She has an emotional attachment to print and isn’t quite sure she wants to take her career online. But who would she be if she jumped ship to do something else?
Cole Elliot is a pilot on a journey of his own, realizing that he can’t just keep flying around aimlessly. He is adept at flying away from any hint of emotional entanglement, but his solitary lifestyle is becoming less appealing as he thinks about growing old alone.
Alex and Cole feel an instant attraction when they first meet, but old habits are difficult to break. It’s so much easier, not to mention safer, to keep each other at a distance. But fate has other ideas as they keep crossing paths throughout the summer, playing a game of emotional tag. Cole and Alex may be more similar than they’re willing to admit. Whether on the road or in the sky, aren’t they looking for the same answers?
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Prose: 5 out of 10
Character/Execution: 6 out of 10
Overall: 6.25 out of 10
Assessment:
In this love letter to California, journalist Alex searches for direction in her career and love life over a three-month out-of-office assignment. There are romantic elements here in two potential relationships that never fully materialize, but the story centers around Alex's continual waffling over her future and efforts to find peace. Sections of repeated ideas and almost verbatim conversations undermine the soul-searching of an independent woman.
Date Submitted: July 20, 2016