The 86th Degree

Barbara Harken
Robert D. Reed Publishers (2008)
ISBN 9781931741941
Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (4/08)


At its core, “The 86th Degree” is a novel of romance, love, family, abuse and loss.  Amber Helm has been neglected and manipulated by her parents from birth. Her mother is a severe diabetic whose illness has controlled the family for as long as Amber can remember. There seems to be an eerie correlation between Amber’s behavior and her mother’s medical crises.  Her father is rich, powerful and overbearing.  As an adult, Amber has defied her parents enough to take a job of her choosing, yet continues to benefit from their money.

As an English teacher, Amber is selected to act as host to a visiting writer who will be teaching for a few weeks.  To her dismay, the writer turns out to be Ethan Michaels.  Ethan and Amber had a fling three years ago.  It could have been more but Amber left without an explanation and it is immediately clear neither Ethan nor Amber has gotten over their separation.
           
Amber gets a new student in her class, Jocelyn.  Jocelyn is clearly abused and/or neglected and Amber sets out to help her.  Her desire to help is admirable, but it is easy to question her motivation.  I found myself asking whether Amber was trying to save Jocelyn or to save herself.
           
“The 86th Degree” is a good read for a weekend curled up with a book.  As faulted as Amber is, it’s hard not to like her and want her to be happy.  However, I found the story was choppy at times which made it hard to stay focused.  Amber went back and forth between present and past too often.  She had panic attacks and a few times her behavior went so far as to be unbelievable.  I don’t see many people putting up with behavior like hers for long (the rambling outbursts that make no sense, the staring into space and seeming to be lost inside of her self with no regard for the situation). 
           
Overall “The 86th Degree” did its job. The author made the point clear that blood is not always thicker than water and family ties truly can strangle us.  I was satisfied with the ending and enjoyed reading this book.

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