An Amazon Review of My Novel

A new review of my novel recently went up on amazon.com. Thanks to Missy Pilkington for writing such kind words . . .

"We live to toil, kick the soil, blink through the madness as if it were disco, and wait for death to relieve us of our duties quietly. Generally, that is every human being's plan. Fortunately for Stan Carter, he awakens mid-life following the tragic loss of his family, and starts asking the kind of questions that people are too afraid to ask while they are caught up in the cycle of sustaining the American Dream. Essentially, what am I doing with my life and more importantly, why? Anyone with a pulse deserves to follow Jeff Vande Zande's tale and witness for themselves how one person attempts to deal with the fallout and fumbles through the reconstruction phase.

Appropriately, the story is set in northern Michigan where lack of industry is translated into beautiful wilderness and an escape for the many city dwellers whose cottages dot the rivers and streams far from the sodium vapor civilization downstate. Numb and hollow of the paycheck life without his family, Stan abandons his factory job and retreats to his cabin where he lives the simple solitary life until June, an investment banker, shows up to assess the property. Mesmerized by June's vitality and fearful of losing his cabin, he dives into the river to avoid decision and then, uses every resource in sight to track her down via road trip. Weaving through the landscape of reason, the underdog Stan and his wily cast of new friends deliver the hilarious while they share a dialog on what moves them.

Readers will easily recognize themselves in this vivid fire of conflict and cheer Stan along while questioning their own place in society. Charmingly real and down to Earth, Into the Desperate Country will suck you in and resonate in your mind long after the last page has been turned. Vande Zande's well-crafted novel offers something more if you're brave enough to take it."