Jake Miller's Wheel by James A. Ostby Review

In this Dostoyevskian novel, Jake Miller, a minor character drawn from James Ostby's first literary work-Men With Broken Faces-is a homesteader in northeastern Montana who suffers life to a higher degree than do most people. Uneducated, though intelligent and noble of spirit, he plods on over the open prairie and the vast wheatfields of his life, trying to find solace in farming, everyday life, and through his somewhat ironic sense of humor.
        Jake is haunted by both his Wheel of Life and the Fatidic Light.  His Wheel of Life, more like a grindstone, is a relentless psychological encumbrance that he has had to endure from childhood.  Its severity varies from mild to unbearable, though Jake has no choice but to suffer it valiantly and with little complaint.
        The Fatidic Light is more frightening.  It is an actual hallucination that Jake first sees as a harbinger of misery and doom.  Only late in life does he discover its essence.
        A main thread through the book is Jake's ups and downs as he struggles for peace and normalcy.  In his continual and noble efforts to endure his difficult existance, he turns to philosophy, religion, and to any other contivance or device that makes his way easier.
        In the end Jake . . . .  (SPOILER)

James Ostby grew up on the barren High Plains of northeastern Montana, on the farm homesteaded by his grandparents in 1912. He holds a bachelor of science degree in general studies, a bachelor of science in film and television production, and a minor in history. He was a personnel psychology specialist in the Army in the mid '60s, has worked in public and commercial television, and was the owner and manager of a small-town radio station in Wyoming. He and his wife, Donna, and their two young daughters, returned to the farm in 1977, where the long, cold winters and the isolation provided the perfect writing environment.
     James and Donna spent their winters of the last ten years cruising aboard their blue-water sailboat Skycastles, based in Florida. They have now sold their boat, and James has devoted himself to full-time writing.

My Review:
I was glad to read this book and to go back to one of the characters from the author's other book (Men with Broken Faces). That book really touched me as a citizen, however this book had more of a paranormal feel to it. I liked that Jake kept "talking" to Mable and I enjoyed the way the author wrote about Jake's past. It made it easier to understand why he was the way he was. I enjoyed the ending, and I could picture Jake's character. This book has farming, bombs, phone calls, and of course dealing with the everyday depressions in life. I am giving this book a 4/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.