Daredevils by Shawn Vestal By Josh Hanagarne            Every time I r

Daredevils by Shawn Vestal By Josh Hanagarne            Every time I read a book in which Mormonism–in this case, its most fundamentalist strain–is the backdrop, I fear that I lose all objectivity. I was raised in the LDS church and had a very happy childhood. Since I’ve left, I’ve been forced to confront some of the darker aspects of the organization and have experienced predictable periods of anger, resentment, doubt, et cetera. When I read a book where Mormons of any strain are potrayed eccentrically and I catch myself  thinking, “Yeah, what a bunch of weirdos!,” I take a step back to see if I think I’m being overly biased. I don’t like it when the members of a church–or any church–are rendered like Flannery O’Connor’s or Carson McCuller’s southern grotesques.            It’s temping. It’s occasionally deserved. But it doesn’t serve the reviewer or the reader.            Happily, there are two things I can say about Daredevils right out of the gate:            It gets fundamentalist Mormonism right, particularly the mood of such in the 70’s, and Shawn Vestal’s writing and storytelling gifts are such that I didn’t find my own history interrupting my reading at all.            Daredevils offers a unique take on the Coming of Age Tale. Loretta is a fourteen year old living in a Fundamentalist Mormon community. She lives in one of the communities that tend to get raided by the feds.            She frequently sneaks out to fool around with an older man who promises her that he’ll take her away from it all very soon.            It doesn’t happen soon enough. Shortly after the book begins, she learns that she’s been “promised” to one of the community elders. Now she’s going to become yet another of his wives. Her early interactions with her new husband are some of the most depressing pages I’ve read. Loretta is trapped already, and now she knows she’s adding another layer to her captivity and there’s nothing she can do about it.            This is all happening during the period when the daredevil Evel Knievel is preparing to make his Snake River Canyon jump on the motorcycle. Right away we’re set up for the idea that Loretta breaking away from her upbringing and faith is every bit (or more) the daredevil act, just as much as anything Knievel could come up with.            I’d say her situation is way more intriguing. Knievel at least had a parachute. Loretta is fifteen, with all the limitations that can accompany the age, complicated further by her status in the religion.              After she marries, her new husband (Dean Harder, like something out of porn) moves his family. Loretta has to go with him and this is where the story really begins. Her husband’s nephew, Jason, a boy of endless pop culture enthusiasm and a devotee of Knievel, gives her a chance to be a kid again. They make an impulsive choice and hit the road together, along with one of Jason’s friends.            The trip they take is every bit as sad, frustrating, and fun as you might imagine, There were few things I enjoyed as much as teenage roads trips, and I never had anything to escape from. I just liked to go and laugh with friends. Loretta’s dash for freedom is worth cheering about and I enjoyed every page.            There are also some immensely enjoyable scenes where someone who may be Evel Knieval pops in and out.            Vestal writes wonderful dialogue and has such an obvious affection for Idaho, for Loretta, and for his lucky readers, that Daredevils was irresistible for me from word one.            The child forced to grow up too soon is an endlessly fascinating trope. This is a portrayal of a child forced to grow up too soon in some very odd circumstances. Full of heart and joy, Daredevils is one to read at least twice. -- source link
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