Spirit Me Away

LOVE FOUND IN UNCOMMON PLACES WITH TRULY UNCOMMON PEOPLE—SPIRIT ME AWAY BY AARON PAUL LAZAR Okay, I confess: the women cried far too much and the Gus LeGarde I know would have called in the police far, far earlier than he does in this novel. And yet. This is a young Gus LeGarde, newly married and deeply in love with his wife. What she and their friend endure is horrific and prolonged. While the perpetual tears irritated me no end, I realize this novel was written about a time when women were not Madam Secretary or Rizzoli and Isles; women, in fact, were not long out of the fifties’ imprisonment in the home. And Elsbeth is atypical as a musician more talented than her husband. What I love about this novel as I finish it, without spoiling too much of the ending, is that each damaged person here, and there are many, finds a rejuvenating love by book’s end, a love that brings healing and salve for psyches, abuses, even war’s ugly legacies and scars to the mind. It is the hope in Aaron Lazar’s novels that I find so intoxicating. In a world obsessed with nihilistic cynicism while some of us believe and bring forward the rise in spirituality and the saving of our planet, Lazar’s novels do not just rest in an idyllic past. No, Lazar’s characters survive and confront a multitude of abuses and horrors with people around them who sympathize, protect, and rescue. For every damaged, tortured soul there is someone who loves them, someone who cares, someone who listens or just stands by, lending their strength. It is this kind of support, and “support” is a very small word for this kind of standing in for the traumatized, that we all need to get over the big hurdles and the life challenges that can stymie us and halt our growth or recovery. Everyone in Lazar’s novels has someone who is there for the sufferer, unless they are a villain and to be destroyed! I firmly believe that Lazar’s novels should be prescribed for those in therapy, to let them see, visualize, understand what real support IS and what it can do to help the psyche heal. Literature has always been a way to imagine what is not, to reflect on what SHOULD be. As a survivor, Lazar’s visions give me hope, and a place in an imaginary world where safety, sanity, and succor are available for every aching soul, and respite comes eventually to even the weariest sufferer. But Aaron, you’ve got to empower your women the next time out!!! Elsbeth is not a woman who simply dissolves into to tears at the slightest provocation; not the Elsbeth who grew up with Gus and her twin Sieg!!! One last thing: something happens to Elsbeth that reminds us there was a time when the brutalization of women was not routinely investigated by the police, and both Elsbeth and Gus’ silence about what happens to her is evidence of a time before SVU. For some occurrences, a police response has become ordinary, necessary, and sensitive. Thank you, Aaron. For giving this uncommon sufferer hope; for affirming that love comes to everyone, especially she or he with damaging wounds to the psyche. You really do need to send your novels to mental health professionals worldwide; don’t make me start a healing group centered on your work!!! Love and blessings, Dr. Ni http://www.drniamawilliams.com

Spirit Me Away by Aaron Paul Lazar took me back to a time I lived through, but don’t remember. I was six years old in the summer of ’69 and though I have since seen numerous depictions on television and in the media, I can’t honestly say any of it rings a particular bell. Lazar manages to take what has always been a mist-shrouded time period for me, and refine it into a peculiar clarity which I can view through the eyes of the eminently likeable Gus LeGarde. He manages to avoid one of the major tropes of the mystery genre by developing a hero/heroine duo who remind me more of Ward and June Cleaver than Nick and Nora Charles, but who still manage to combine some of the most charming elements of both. To begin with, Gus is not a detective. He’s a struggling music student who readily and proudly admits that his wife if far more talented than he is. He is disarmingly naïve without being irritatingly stupid. Especially in mysteries, I like my protagonists to be intelligent since it’s annoying to spend the entire book wanting to smack them upside the head and shout, “get a clue, won’t you?” But Gus isn’t stupid; he is simply, enchantingly, young. He makes mistakes (don’t we all?) but he learns from them. He doesn’t pretend to be Superman, but he is brave enough to step out anyway and do what needs to be done, all the while dealing with the angst and self-doubt we can all identify with. The plot moves quickly and follows a logical, if occasionally surprising, sequence. The book in general is tightly written and well-paced without a lot of overwriting and no plot holes that I saw. There is an authenticity to the setting and mood that I found engaging and the combination of subject and setting was an interesting departure from the norm, especially since human trafficking has been so much on the public radar recently. Setting the story in the sixties and telling it from such a personal angle kept the writing fresh and topical. First person narratives do tend to be problematic, in my view, because of the tendency of the narrative toward overt introspection, but Lazar handles even this fairly well. I did have one problem with the text. Elsbeth. She is really cute and very sweet. I know people just like her. But her utter helplessness bothered me. Though she is presented as a smart, talented young woman with a gentle and motherly heart, she seemed flat to me. I recognize that Gus is the protagonist, but I’d like to have seen a little more fire and depth from his lovely side-kick, especially considering some of the events in this book. Nope, no spoilers. You’ll have to read the book. And you should. Despite the issue of Elsbeth, Spirit Me Away is a good summer read and one I think you’ll enjoy.

It was OK but not great

Loved it, was age 22 in 69 and living in England, wasn\’t into the free love and drug scene but i could imagine what it was like, loved all the characters in this book and it is nice to read about the young Gus Legarde, can\’t wait to read more books about him and his family and friends.

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