Symmetry

Rifle closed the book and lay it in his coat. He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it over his shoulders. He walked to the front of the wagon and sat on the axle to remove his boots. He set them under the canvas and laid his shirt across them. In the dark he removed his trousers and slipped into the still warmth below the wagon. He lifted the quilt he¿d spread there and crawled under it. He closed his eyes and waited.

So silently did the canvas flap move behind him, he would not have known it had parted except he felt a cool, fresh breeze from outside the shelter. He felt the quilt lift and the overwhelming warmth which joined him from behind. An arm slipped around his waist and lips touched the back of his neck. ¿That¿s one,¿ the voice whispered.

¿That one doesn¿t count,¿ Rifle said. ¿They only count above the chin and below the waist.¿ He turned in Edward¿s arms and kissed him deeply. ¿I¿ll have to teach you everything, I¿m afraid.¿

¿I learn quickly.¿ Rifle felt the tightness of their loins and the urgency building between then.

¿The first lesson begins `Don¿t talk.¿¿ Nothing else was said before the morning.

"Woodward's historical fiction, Symmetry, the story of Rifle McCormack, a half Cherokee, half Irish man,...brings tenderness, romance and love to a tumultuous time. Rifle's community is torn apart in the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation relocation in the early 1800s.

Rifle lives in two worlds. In one he is Cherokee, sharing the heritage, traditions and ways of his people. In another he is white, or 'yoneg' as the Cherokee say, where he reads Shakespeare and poetry, serves as a diplomat to all and falls in love with another white man. Lieutenant Edward Hatcher...is intrigued by the Cherokee and unlike most other soldiers, he fights to move his group quickly to the new territory, with as few deaths as possible.

Although Woodward's book is fictional, his ability to bring in a historical era makes...Symmetry...a genuinely moving romance that brings a different perspective to historical times. As the title suggests, it is a story about the balance of two worlds. It is about two men who fall in love, who are not always accepted, do not belong fully to any group, and who bring to life, sweetness and genuine hearts to an otherwise challenging and painful time."

Christina Claassen Copyright 2005 ForeWordreviews.com