Written in what seems like free-verse poetry, this story gives a double dose of pleasure. The first comes in reading THE BRAID -- a lovely, lyrical evocation of some very hard times, told in two voices, with intervening odes to various aspects of the story. In stripped-down words and images, the essence of the immigrant experience is conveyed with power and passion – and, mercifully, without stereotypes, even in the secondary characters. The lives these people led were hard enough to make the story resonate without peppering it with the kind of cardboard villains that too often populate books of this genre.
The second pleasure comes when you finish the story and get to the Author's Notes, where she reveals the intricate, complex, Celtic knot-inspired structure of her poetry and it becomes clear that this is so much more than just free verse. It's far too complicated to describe here, but few readers will be able to resist the urge to go back and look at the text again with this new knowledge, and lovers of wordplay will be especially delighted. Braids are not only a major theme of the story, they are the way the whole thing is actually structured. It's unique and utterly fascinating.