Former U.S. Marine Corps NCO M. N. SNow’s debut novel “The Helper” has received a large amount of praise since it was released last year.
The novel travels from the gritty Lake Superior port cities and Indian reservations of northern Wisconsin to the Jewish neighborhoods of North Miami Beach, Florida – from Parris Island to the war zones of Kuwait and Afghanistan.
According to the book’s synopsis, the story follows John Sloan, a Marine Corps veteran with a lifelong secret that is haunting him. He is a conduit to a healing light that draws him to people on the brink of emotional disintegration, people who are then healed and Helped by this light. His blue collar world is shattered when he finds out that his connection to the anonymous portal has vanished. He is alone, seemingly beyond aid, and in desperate need of a Helping himself.
The book tracks the intersecting lives of John and two other Helpers. His lifelong friend Dusty Hakalla is a mixed-blood Ojibwe with a secret of his own. His power to Help is remarkable but was once destructively misused. A career Marine, his scarred childhood and momentary abuse of power have left him jaded and bereft. Deena Morrison, also a Helper, is John’s girlfriend. Adopted as an infant, she flees John to find her birth mother, while carrying within herself her own secret. Another character shadows their lives as narrator – Nan’b’oozoo, the trickster god of Ojibwe legend – at times sarcastic and petulant, at others insightful and humorous.
“The Helper”
On the book’s cover, SNow included the very first review the book received. Bantam Books writer Tracey McBride, the author of “Frugal Luxuries,” wrote: “LOVING this story… mesmerizing… quirky… intriguing… at once spiritually uplifting/hope-inducing and gritty, earthy, real. Wow. Just wow.”
A Reviewers Bookwatch piece gave the book a rating of 10 out of 10 and called the book “a fantastic novel… a powerful book that everyone should get… an incredibly well-written story, that often reminded me of the same storytelling style of Stephen King.”
One review on Amazon wrote: “‘The Helper’ is not your conventional novel… it is so much more. It is a ‘think outside the box’ story. It delves into the intricacies of friendship, relationships, love, loyalty and so much more. This is a book like no other book you have ever read, and you will love every page of it. If you sit down to read one book, make it ‘The Helper’ by M.N. SNow, it will move you on so many different levels, and make you think of things you’ve never considered before.”
Author M. N. SNow’s bio includes years as a public radio host and anchor, primarily in the south Florida market, but also for Wisconsin Public Radio. SNow has had various short stories published and was a contributing writer for Reader Weekly, in Duluth, Minnesota. SNow is also a published cartoonist.
“The Helper” is available in print, either online or at your favorite bookstore. It is also available in all e-book formats, including Kindle, Apple and Nook.
You can preview chapters at Amazon.com.
