Title: Bound on Earth
Author: Angela Hallstrom
Publisher: Parables
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2008
Number of Pages: 197
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-9614960-9-8

Reviewed by Jaimie Sintay

I found the writing in Bound on Earth to be refreshing, especially compared to the typical works found within Mormon literature. The plot follows a family in Utah County, but doesn’t focus on one particular individual throughout the book. This was an interesting and advanced technique for Hallstrom to use. Typically authors who try this approach don’t seem to develop the characters well enough as individuals and the reader feels unattached and has inner stress while reading the work. The amazing thing about Angela’s writing is that through the voice of the child, the mother, the father, the spouse, the grandmother, we as the reader connect. After reading the book, I feel like I can identify or recognize the characters moral conflicts and inner struggles and strengths.
The storyline follows the Palmers, a seemingly typical Utah family. It starts out first being introduced to Beth, the youngest Palmer daughter and following close behind is her spouse Kyle. Right off the bat, we know that this family isn’t without trials. Although their outer appearance would suggest that they are somewhat perfect, the reader learns that Kyle struggles from bipolar disease. Unfortunately the family isn’t so excepting of this as we would optimistically hope them to be. This results in one of the first conflicts that we as the reader are exposed to. The conflict of “what to do with Kyle” comes fast. It’s somewhat like jumping into a cold pool on a hot day. You really want to be in the water, but it’s a bit of a shock at first before getting used to it.
After reading about Beth and Kyle, the book jumps to the next important family member. The next character that we learn about is Tess, the grandmother of Beth and the mother of Nathan Palmer, Beth’s father. The interesting thing about Tess is that we don’t see her in the same time period as Beth and Kyle, or even in the 21st century for that matter. From the story of Tess, the reader learns that she is a woman who has to go to go to school to become proficient in a job during the timeframe of 1965. This is a time where it’s fairly unusual to see women in the work field. It’s obvious that she is uncomfortable with the position that this places her in, but her husband is far worse towards this idea then she is. He is almost unwilling to allow her to go to school, but in the end has to because he can’t support the family. We see through Tess that a lot of emphasis is placed on appearances and how to make things seem as they are going well when in reality things are falling apart. Perhaps this mentality is a passed down reflex that was developed on her own or perhaps it is a mentality that is a product of the time, but whatever the case is, the self consciousness expressed through Tess has passed onto the family.
The father Nathan is the next character that we hear word from during the time of 1981. He is a simple character who lives a normal life as a history teacher. Through Nathan’s eyes, we see that he sometimes has problems communicating with his wife Alicia and therefore doesn’t seem to receive enough physical affection as he would like. When he is hit on by a woman from church, he comes across his first big moral dilemma.
Next characters Marnie and Tina are highlighted when they are little girls during the 80’s. Marnie is the oldest daughter of Nathan and Alicia. She always does what she is told no matter what. Tina, even as a little child, has a hard time understanding repentance and thinks that she is
a bad girl because she has too many sins. This seems to be the catalyst that puts her into a lifetime of rebelliousness or a life that is against the main Mormon streamline way of living.
The last character that we are introduced to is Alicia. She is the wife of Nathan and the mother of Marnie, Tess, and Beth. In 1992, we are exposed to her voice through her inner thoughts directed towards her mother who is dead. She has her struggles. If there is one character that I find to be the most interesting and complex, it is her. She is always stoic and unflinching. She doesn’t feel like her children appreciate what she does for them. She lost her mother at a young age and wishes that she had the opportunity to have one. Perhaps it is for this reason that she seems a little bit cold at times to her children and somewhat at a loss for what to do. She can’t handle her rebellious Tess, says harsh words to Marnie, and doesn’t except her son-in-law Kyle and feels betrayed and hurt by him. She has to go through a lot of choices to try to better herself and her attitudes towards others.
This is a short synopsis of the characters. In a way, the book only gives us snippets of their lives, but the nice thing about Hallstrom is that I can read these short parts and understand the characters. These are the characters that provide the weave of complexities that are present for the Palmers. The interesting thing is that no matter what the craziness is, life goes on for them. They all learn to deal with what they have been dealt in their own way and make meaning of their lives.
The only piece of criticism that I would give for this book is to make it longer. I say this because I felt so emotionally attached to the characters, which is good, but not always do I feel like there is a clear resolution which caused a bit of inner turmoil for me to wonder what happens in the end. However, this may be a tactic that Hallstrom uses on purpose to express the idea that the journey isn’t over, nor will it ever end, but its how we deal with what we have been handed that makes the difference. Overall, the writing in this book portrays good literature and writing techniques that aren’t the stoic versions of the typical literature that we see in Mormon works. Hallstrom develops her characters in a way that shows she is an advanced author and can cause the reader to visualize the individual telling the story. The nice thing about reading this book is that I didn’t feel like I had wasted my time after reading it but rather, I enjoyed it. I feel confident to make the claim that we can expect some good stuff to come from this author in the future.