Jane Meyer is a murderer. True, she killed a man who tried to rape her, but proving that in a court of law might be a challenge. So Jane decides to run to Mexico instead. In an idyllic (and safely isolated) coastal village of Zipolite, Jane assumes the identity of Ana Jiménez. But for how long will her dark secret remain hidden?
This premise may sound like the start of a thriller, but Cynthia J. Bogard’s BEACH OF THE DEAD is primarily a tale about overcoming trauma. Her protagonist Jane has had a miserable life. She grew up on an isolated country farm with a violent father. Then, in college, she inadvertently picked up the worst person to become her lover—her would-be rapist. Jane carries a tremendous sense of guilt—or at least what she perceives as guilt. It is equally likely she suffers from the terrible self-loathing all too common among victims of parental abuse. What Jane needs to unpack isn’t just murder but a life of trauma.
In Zipolite, Jane meets a colorful cast of kindhearted characters. There’s Alex, a closeted gay man who needs help with his deeply conservative family. Friendly Zipolite locals José and Madre Hermosa become almost parental figures to Jane. In addition, there’s a group of gregarious U.S. tourists. Among them is Jane’s new and much kinder lover. However, BEACH OF THE DEAD soon starts to flounder. Other characters enjoy spending time with Jane, but it is difficult to comprehend why, considering how passive and taciturn she is. Furthermore, her healing comes not so much from her own choices and actions but from other characters heaping unconditional support, help, and love on her. Because of this, there’s no genuine drama: even as she is on the run and hurting on the inside, Jane is effectively on vacation. Further, her story feels too much like a fantasy to resonate with everyday life. Regrettably, not everyone suffering from trauma has the luxury of visiting a tropical getaway with a community of warm, kind people ready to offer support. Instead, the daily grind, loneliness, isolation, emotional self-sabotage, and sheer bad luck all work against those trying to heal past wounds. Cynthia J. Bogard might have intended her story to be an uplifting (albeit fictional) experience about grief and forgiveness, but all too often BEACH OF THE DEAD rings hollow.
Cynthia J. Bogard ‘s BEACH OF THE DEAD is a potentially uplifting work of fiction about overcoming trauma and rediscovering self-worth. Regrettably, the novel fails to resonate emotionally due to its passive protagonist and the unlikely circumstances in which she finds herself.
~Danijel Štriga for IndieReader