Dreamwood by Heather Mackey (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Dreamwood by Heather Mackey April Spisak Mackey, Heather Dreamwood. Putnam, 2014 [336p] ISBN 978-0-399-25067-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-7 Lucy wants to be an adventurer and ghost hunter like her dad, and his leaving her at a boarding school for her own good isn’t going to stop her for long. Off she goes to find him in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest in this parallel version of the past where ghosts exist, the Lupine people protect nature, and magic and realism coexist, even if they are awkward partners. Lucy has a little help from allies she acquires along the way, but it’s mainly her on this quest that quickly turns epic and may involve her saving the world (or at least the nearby territories) from a horrific blight that is killing all of the trees. Although things do end mostly for the good, Lucy makes a refreshing number of wrong turns as she goes, learning to challenge her assumptions in ways that make her a more open, thoughtful, and generous person. In a much-needed afterword, Mackey mentions her liberal use of artistic license in referencing familiar cultural elements, traditions, and iconography of indigenous people of North America, even while she states that her “what if” representation of an alternative past is entirely fictional. While this is a slightly tricky stance to take, in particular when there is just a hint of “noble savage” generalizing throughout, it does at least make clear that this is an intentional exercise. The novel itself is gorgeous, replete with effective plot twists, a memorable protagonist, and a richly developed setting; thoughtful readers will catch the hints of realism and blend it smoothly with the fantasy details. [End Page 42] Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois