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Kalinke relays the story of a young man's search for identity and a father's acceptance to the life his son chooses. Mark Waldron is five years of age when his mother is tragically killed in a car accident. Willis, Mark's father, is guilt ridden since he feels responsible for his wife's death. Although father and son love one another deeply, their relationship is strained. Because Mark is a constant reminder of his endearing mother, Willis is neither able to communicate his emotional pain, nor be a listening ear for his son. The only thing that Mark feels closest to is a strange mystical-looking marble that his mother finds before her death and sets aside for Mark's eleventh birthday. By the time Mark turns fifteen, he is more confused then ever and leaves home in the hope of figuring out what it is that makes him truly unique.
With a handful of books under his belt, Will Kalinke has written yet another story that combines his life experiences and thought-provoking messages with his immense imagination. Written in third person, Kalinke keeps his narrative flowing by alternating chapters between Willis' frantic search for his son and Mark's journey to the Polk Street section of San Francisco. Aside of the connection that Mark has with the mystical marble and a rather interesting plot twist, Kalinke's story presents more reality than fiction. Kalinke not only describes aspects of a story that reflect current news, but he also includes additional information at the close of his book for parents and grandparents. While Mark and the Mystic Marble may capture the interest of adult readers of all ages, Kalinke's wonderful intention for this novel is to help seniors share their own life stories with others.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review