 November 2002
Meant to Be
by Rita Coburn Whack
One must be careful when allowing the word 'spiritual' to define Christian themes when the word is used to label and connotate. Content and context make all the difference in the world, which makes all the reason why going deeper to dispel discourse would be appropriate here. Rita Coburn Whack has penned a book written in such a different style that, if read subjectively, you'd come to appreciate the depth and breadth of an inspiring message, the witticism of a meaningful storyline, and a true spirit of what the author intended. This book will get your attention and keep you riveted to it in digesting interpretive understanding from multiple voices speaking as one. Meant To Be is the name of the book, an ostensibly auspicious debut novel written in an omniscient pattern which to me, adds to its enhancement. So much unlike that of which is being written of late, sans the predictable dichotomy in supposedly religious themes apropos in spiritual writing.
Let me set the stage for the drama: Patience Jan Campbell is the name of our protagonist who, as you read the first chapter of the book is deemed quite different from most kids her age. One of my cherished and definitive pieces of the book comes when Jan is called upon to read and interpret her favorite scripture for the church congregation. After reading it, she opines: "I think this scripture means that children know every shut eye ain't sleep and every head bowed ain't praying, so grown-ups ain't fooling us or God...So nobody should hold a child back from God just 'cause they may be having trouble finding Him." To say the least, she' was outspoken, observant, and early on was given the opportunity to be heard with the aforementioned passage being uttered much to the chagrin of the 'grown-ups'. The sun shone brightly on Jan until an unfortunate tragedy caused her to lose her vivacity, and most importantly her 'voice'. The omniscience found in this story is told through the eyes of her grandmother Hannah, in recurring dreams over the narration of Jan's life through college, her work as a radio disc jockey, and her somewhat uneven trysts with lovers Don and Phillip.
Ms Whack gives us a semi-autobiographical translation as we follow the main characters' journey into womanhood, finding herself among the many trials and tribulations, and regaining confidence for viability. The supporting characters in the book are strong, especially the previously mentioned Hannah; an aunt whom she calls Mama Ada acting as a mentor/surrogate mother type; and Sarah, a longtime friend who pleads and cajoles Jan to change the folly of her ways. The roles at play here allow the author a chance to make sincere attempts to meld semblages of her experiences, historical reference, and narrative interpretation to make this story work. In fact, it is this type of narration that was chosen that possibly proved to be troublesome to those that were not paying attention, or who abandoned the book altogether for lack of what the author was trying to convey. I give in to the fact that the narrative at times tended to be verbose and plodding in spots, but overall based on the intangibles it didn't take anything away from the stylistic rendering to see how Jan was able to learn acceptance, forgiveness, and a sense of self.
Tone, color, and perspective gave this book more spunk because of the style used to illustrate dramatic effect. The story is compelling. The writing expressive. Albeit and unashamelessly, I was looking for less a predictable ending in lieu of a rather safe coda given us, but the medium was well worth sticking with the clear message the author gave. I'm sure there are readers out there that have this book in their TBR (To Be Read) stack, or those that through hearsay, have found this to be a difficult read....but throw all notions aside using that type of enuendo and READ this for your own interpretive thought. This is a beautifully written and poignant piece of writing from an author who has only scratched the surface. I look forward to more from the pen of Rita Coburn Whack.
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