Ever wonder what life was like in the early pioneer days? Did living on the land make you closer to the land? Did the love between a people grow stronger because they depended on each other for survival? Mary Jean Kelso answers these and other questions in her riveting tale of life on the frontier in her newest novel, Kat’s Cradle.

Katie Marie Sturdivant, better known as Kat, regrets her visit to the fortuneteller. Life is hard in the lawless town of Bodie. With her brother gone and her mother dead, it’s just Kat and her father Dutch. All she wants is something to look forward to, a little light at the end of the tunnel. Instead of being told she will meet her true love soon, the seeress predicts travel and tragedy. For that depressing bit of forecasting, she spent all her money.

An unexpected explosion shatters Kat’s favorite place and her way of life. Dutch is killed in a mine explosion. In her grief-stricken state, she hears men whisper of a stranger around about the time of the explosion. Fifteen-year-old Kat latches onto the story and begins a search for the stranger. Why would someone kill her beloved father? No one seems to believe it was murder except Kat.

Sam Schaffer is on his way to being a red-hot journalist, as much as a person can be in Bodie, California. Maybe that’s why he actually believes Kat’s story about her father being murdered. Then there’s the fact that he has always been a little sweet on Kat. He’s just waiting for her to get a little older before speaking his mind.

Kat’s Cradle is a historical fiction piece, in some ways. The accuracy and detail of everyday life and activities of Kat and her friends reverberates with research. However, the ball was dropped regarding social norms. No one would have allowed Kat to live alone. The usual options include sent back to relatives back East, taken in by friends or married off quickly. Living alone in a lawless town that even the sheriff can’t ride herd on would result in rape and a short life for Kat. Then there’s Kat traveling alone; it wouldn’t happen unless she could travel in disguise or with Sam. There is the matter of Sam, whose relationship to Kat isn’t clear until page 80 in 150-page novel. The unnamed antagonist so rarely has any substance that he isn’t very riveting or threatening. No wonder the townspeople blow off Kat’s concerns. Most of the worthwhile dialogue goes on in Kat’s and Sam’s heads, and if it is spoken the story might get lively.

Kat’s Cradle does start out very promising--that alone might make you think it was well worth reading. In this reviewer’s opinion, you would be disappointed. Perhaps a rewrite that included more workable action and dialogue would make it a very different story. I would not recommend it in its present state.

Reviewed by Morgan Wyatt
© July 2007