Book Review by Anna Trujillo
The best young adult novels are journeys of self-discovery. Teenage protagonists, like their teenage readers, are constantly asking these questions: Who am I? And how do I fit into my world? Johanna Frank’s young adult fantasy novel Here Lyeth, the third installment in her A Lifeline Fantasy Series, finds its two young 17th-century protagonists on cross-country (and cross-dimensional) quests to answer these questions. After hearty doses of escapades and adventure, the characters learn that the answers they seek may have been in front of them—or even within them—all along.
The female protagonist, Lexxie, suffers a crisis upon learning that the man who raised her, Harmon, is not her biological father. Turning her back on Harmon, she sets off to find her “real” family. Over the course of her cross-country journey, she disguises herself as a man, is accused of being a witch, discovers secrets about her past, and learns that when it comes to family, love matters more than blood.
Lexxie’s storyline alternates with that of Meginhardt, a young man murdered by his abusive father (this isn’t a spoiler; it happens in the first chapter) who is then carried off on a mystical, time-hopping journey by a bird-like ethereal being named Jophiel. As he travels through the spiritual realm and is shown glimpses of the future, Meginhardt transforms from a cowardly boy into a confident man, and his story connects with Lexxie’s in an unexpected, satisfying way.
Johanna Frank’s writing style in this novel is unconventional. Because of the time-hopping storyline, expressions and diction from various periods are employed side by side, and several German terms (narr for fool, Grossmutter for Grandmother, etc.) recur. Although some readers may be put off by the style, those who persist and adapt will be rewarded with an inventive plot and characters who are lovable despite their sometimes exasperating choices. Powerful themes of faith, forgiveness, and what family really means resound throughout the novel.
One thing that stood out to me in Here Lyeth is Johanna Frank’s refusal to shy away from difficult subject matter, as Christian fiction, especially that aimed at a younger audience, sometimes tends to do. The novel’s world does not exclude murder, rape, and blackmail, and even priests are not above corruption. Instead of spoon-feeding a moral tale, the author trusts her audience to parse good and evil for themselves, just as her characters, though themselves deeply flawed, must learn to do. Here Lyeth tells the story of two young characters’ journeys, and at the same time, it encourages readers to exercise their own moral compass—which will be an invaluable guide as they set off on journeys of self-discovery of their own.
Anna Trujillo has an MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University. Her short fiction has appeared in various small journals, and she currently serves as Assistant Fiction Editor for Radix Magazine. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.