Historical Fiction Review

The Seanachie
by Bob Huerter
ISBN-10: 1598005545
Review by Heather Froeschl

The gift of family history is one that all too often is ignored until it is too late to recapture. Our heritage is something we need to pay close attention to, yet it passes into an unclear past. In Bob Huerter's novel, "The Seanachie," one struggling young man is about to meet his family history face to face. It is a gift beyond anything that could be imagined.

Frank McGrath is getting into trouble, nearly with the law and decidedly with his father. As punishment he is to do the bidding of his grandfather and drive him to his childhood home in eastern Iowa; a last trip to soothe the soul and put to rest a troubled heart. The trip starts out with a groan as Frank realizes that he is a captive audience to his grandfather's remembrances. However, the story soon touches his heart and the tale is just beginning to become clear. After a tragic set of circumstances, things become even clearer as Frank is given an up close and personal look at the history of his family, of his people, of his heritage.

The Seanachie, a gaelic word for storyteller, was the one who held the traditions, kept the tales alive and the past in safe keeping. In a wonderful twist of storytelling, Bob Huerter is a seanachie in his own right. The book is full of emotion and feeling, history and life lessons. The descriptive scenes are so well written that readers will feel the hunger of Ireland during the potato blight, the rock and sway of the coffin ships, and the broken hearts of tragically lost family. Most notable throughout is the pull of Ireland as the family immigrates to America; what exudes is a magnetism that pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the story. "The Seanachie" is one of those books that will stay with you long after the last page is turned. A must read!