Book Review: Colleen the Wanderer by Raymond St. Elmo

There are books where imagination, magic, and a dream-like state meet, and Colleen the Wanderer is one of them. I have always been in awe of St. Elmo’s books and how he manages to catch this reality that makes sense and doesn’t make sense at all at the same time. It’s the same with Colleen the Wanderer. Reading the book felt like standing in the Twilight Zone in a storybook- kind of way, and wondering where the story leads. I needed to know.

The book is about the destinies of men or the saints in the hands of the one who wants to be left alone and make pots. Colleen the Wanderer used to be part of the Association of the Road, wandering the desert and the lands beyond with her family, bartering for a living. She is the mender of pots, but then she is forced out of the life she used to know, pushed on the road on her own, where she meets saints, hermits, and all sorts of monsters. And she has to decide if to survive on her own or join them.

The book is a dialogue of what is happening and what Colleen tells us is happening. It’s beautifully written, as is the case with every book I have read from Raymond St. Elmo. You can’t go wrong with his book if you are looking for magical realism, whimsy, and raw imagination at its best. But I think there was more to the book than meets the eye; as I wrote before, Colleen has to make a decision for the good of all or the one or none. That left me wanting more. To understand the ending better. It came too abruptly, especially as I felt like I was just getting to know the point. I feel that there was a tiny balance problem with the book. The first forty pages were slow and confusing, but then the story and Colleen’s voice picked up, making it easier to emerge into the story. Then, the last pages felt rushed. I wanted to understand the torment Colleen was carrying with her all this time, her road to destiny. But it might be evident to the reader if they were familiar with Barnaby the Wanderer. This was my only complaint. And Raymond St. Elmo graciously provided background information at the end of the book. So there are no excuses.

Colleen the Wanderer was a wonderful book. It made me want to listen to Smashing Pumpkins while I read it.

Thank you for reading ❤ Have a magical day!