Review of The Mountain Can Wait by Sarah Leipciger

The Mountain Can Wait

Beginning with a cliff-hanger, Sarah Leipciger then proceeds to unravel the stories of her two main characters, Curtis and his father. Incorporating themes of redemption and parenthood, Liepciger portrays the importance of acknowledging one’s mistakes and the influence of a father figure in an
individual’s life. Curtis is a normal 22 year old commencing his life as an adult when he, unfortunately,
becomes the root cause of a tragic accident. Terrified and alone, he decides to move in order to better protect himself, beginning a life better known as “on the run.” Meanwhile, his father, Tom, spends his days supervising his crew, where he faces the challenges of an everyday job coupled with the responsibility of raising two children who are experiencing their first stages of adulthood. From an early age, Tom has been regarded as more of an acquaintance than a friend by his children, a person there simply to provide their necessities rather than someone they shared their feelings and problems with. Subsequently, this resulted in both Curtis and his sister, Erin, in making their own decisions and facing the consequences themselves. Both Curtis and Tom are forced to accept what fate has granted to them and realize how easy it is to lose something they highly value.
Leipciger narrates this tale from a third person limited point of view, where she alternates between presenting the thoughts and feelings of each of her two main characters. She elaborates on the setting of the scenes and provides minuscule details regarding secondary characters. She also embodies many symbols throughout her writing, which serves to show the connection between the characters in each of their lives. Her elaboration of Curtis’ journey after the tragedy is quite thorough, and as an audience, allows us to experience his feelings and paranoia of others. Viewing the world through his eyes gave me the opportunity to understand how one event can change the course of a person’s life. Leipcigers’ simple yet meaningful writing style makes the difference between this novel being simply a story as seen by an observer as opposed to one where the characters experience the reality and challenges of life. I would recommend this novel for a more mature audience, as it deals with serious issues and relates the varying ways people handle their circumstances. The reality portrayed in this tale will invite readers who understand how different life can seem for every individual.

Reviewed by Aasima Gadiwan

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