T. William Phillips emerges on the literary
stage of greatness with his destined-to-be-epic novel Restless Heart. “To thine
own self be true,” echoes from William Shakespeare, whereas “Justice by
God. Truth by will. Duty by heart,” will be etched in the memory
of the readers of T. William Phillips’ exquisite novel.
The book is appropriately titled Restless Heart, as “restless” is indeed the
proper adjective to describe the heart of Konrad Quintero de Leon. The reader is taken on a journey throughout
the expanding United States of America during the mid 19th Century,
a formative era often overlooked in contemporary literature. Written in the first person, as if it were an
ambrosial diary professing the most intimate thoughts and observations of
Konrad, the reader gets immersed within this novel. It is fair to say the book is written within
Konrad’s mind. The events are seen
through his eyes, the dialog from his words or to his ears, his destiny chosen
by his thoughts, revealed only to him as well as to the privileged readers. This creates a most memorable experience, transporting
one into a surrealistic zone laying witness to this man’s life from within his
mind, through the words of his narration, as honest as a confession to God.
Phillips writes a complex storyline not unlike
how Charles Dickens’ told his story in his novel Great Expectations, is reminiscent of love’s passion and tolerance
similarly to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone
with the Wind, and exhibits the power of destiny like in Doctor Zhivago from Boris Pasternak’s
novel. Yes, those are bold statements, I
realize, but that’s the tone of Restless
Heart. Take, for example, an excerpt when Konrad was fighting with the
Texas Rangers Phillips writes:
“What
if I die here today? I asked myself.
What if this is the last thing I ever do? Has my time come so soon? Could it be?
Is it possible that my fate is to die here in the walls of this Mexican
city? If it is my fate to die now, will
I be happy with the life I leave behind?
No! There is so much more I must
do! So much I don’t know!”
T. William Phillips has certainly done his
research establishing his characters with complete credibility, conviction and
confidence. Paralleling history with
exact adherence to people and events which helped shaped this country; he
interlaced human conduct within his characters with an inherent wisdom beyond
his years. The self-evident amount of
work that has gone into his creation shows a humble respect for those fortunate
enough to find the opportunity to read his novel. My advice to all is if you can’t find the
opportunity to read this – make it. This
book should be required reading by English Literature courses and novelist’s
workshops. Impeccable in presentation,
T. William Phillips is by all accounts destined to become renown in our day as
a contemporary literary force and an inspiration to all writers.
Buy this book at Amazon.com
