"MY NAME IS BRYAN," by Stacy Lynn Carroll, Pink Frog Press, e-book $4.99, 392 pages (f)
"My Name is Bryan," by Utah author Stacy Lynn Carroll, is an inspiring novel based on the true story of Bryan Carroll, her father-in-law, who was cliff-diving on a Mormon youth trip when he was 18 years old and ended up receiving an injury that made him a quadriplegic.
While an accident like this has the potential to cause bitterness and anger, Carroll shares through Bryan, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that even in the hardest times, hope will get you through.
Carroll does an excellent job of emotionally attaching the reader to the characters and story. By writing about Bryan's life as a very active and somewhat daring child, it's easy to feel the tragedy when he dives into the water, hears his back pop, and realizes he can't use his limbs to return to the surface.
As the story continues through the first hours and days after the accident, Bryan is determined to conquer this disability and not let it change his life.
Carroll writes with a memior-like feel even though the story is fictional. And while the positivity and hope are a constant presence, there are also poor choices and other experiences to prove that Bryan wasn't perfect.
While the time shifts and point of view changes might be confusing, it provides a full picture of what all of the characters were going through and adds depth to the characters themselves.
Carroll includes inspirational quotes at the beginning of each chapter that relate to what is happening in the story and give insight to Bryan's attitude toward the trials he was experiencing. She also includes pictures at the end of the book of the real-life people who inspired this story.
"My Name is Bryan" contains no foul language, sexual content or violence.
It is a 2014 Whitney Award finalist in the general fiction category. The Whitney Awards recognize novels by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Tara Creel is a Logan, Utah, native and mother of three boys. Her email is taracreel@gmail.com, and she blogs at taracreelbooks.wordpress.com.