Don’t miss this novel! Recent reviews of To and Fro Upon the Earth: A Novel

This novel was truly mesmerizing. Jay is a fascinating character who McDowell has created with so much insight of the human condition. I couldn’t wait to see how it ended, yet didn’t want it to end.

To and Fro is an uncomfortable journey I found myself reluctant to walk on occasion. It’s universal themes of abundance, injustice and desolation strike such a personal note that I found myself unconsciously experiencing the traumas of the storyline right along with the title character. McDowell often accelerates the narrative to communicate the emotional and social whiplash Jay (the protagonist) was trying to process. This method often left me breathless from scene to scene, successfully creating a mood of uncertainty and cynicism typical of Jay’s experience. Without a second to spare, the ending takes both he and the reader by complete surprise. To and Fro is a masterful first novel for McDowell, who shows great prowess in plot and character development. Well done.

A compelling read, To and Fro Upon the Earth will have readers questioning what it means to suffer, and why it is that suffering takes place. Spanning flashbacks, dream sequences, and other narrative devices, this is a book that can be jarring to experience, but that’s all part of the fun. I found myself curious to find out what Jay’s fate was, as I am sure any other reader will. In particular, I enjoyed the philosophical discourses on suffering. Definitely worth reading.

This was a fascinating novel, and I could almost not put it down. it is written well, and the character of Jay drew me in, but more than that, it was the mystery of what happened to him? How did he end up like this? What was he going to do? The answers slowly unravelled through the book—some of them shocking!
I cant say I understood the ending completely, yet it gave me a sense of peace, even though I am not sure why. Also, the book jumps back and forth between the past and the present and dreams (I think they are dreams, which I found confusing at first, though not enough for me to give up, because it made me want to know what was going on. I’m looking forward to more novels by McDowell.