From the authors of The Promise of the Gateway: Deep in the drop behind Green Mountain High, Emily Perkins finds a gateway to the past where she’s no longer a nerd, and the school’s superstar quarterback is in love with her. He hasn’t yet suffered the crippling injuries that will ruin his future, and Emily thinks she can use the gateway to save him. But there’ll be a price to pay. Dangerous distractions wait on the other side. Visions of social injustice haunt everyone who returns. And then Emily learns that the gateway can’t be trusted.
First Impressions: The Promise of the Gateway begins with a glimpse of history that is initially confusing. However, it sets the scene beautifully and highlights the theme of social injustice, which continues to appear as the story progresses. In the next section, the gateway is introduced: a mysterious portal that resembles a green waterfall (shown on the lovely book cover). The suggestion that the gateway has a personality was deeply intriguing.
Plot: At its core, The Promise of the Gateway is about searching for hope in an unfair world and confronting ugly truths that no one wants to admit. It is also a lesson about accepting the past for what it is and building upon it to make a better future. The authors weave together a multifaceted story of exploration and romance, delving into a different version of reality where things are less complicated. However, the characters quickly realize the gateway isn’t all they originally hoped it would be. I liked how the timeline switched back and forth among different historical periods, and since the dates were identified at the beginning of each section, it wasn’t confusing. This is not merely an account of stereotypical drama at a high school: it is a complex journey that takes the reader to unexpected places.
Characters: The main character, Emily, is isolated at the beginning of the story because she doesn’t know how to relate to her classmates. However, when the gateway shows her a different way of life, she begins to evolve. Motivated by curiosity, loneliness, and pity, she undertakes a mission to accomplish a seemingly impossible task. Meanwhile, Jake, the man Emily loves, has given up on his dreams after getting severely hurt in a football game. Despite his depression, he sees the potential of the gateway, but he is so bitter about the cruelty of his circumstances that he is willing to do whatever it takes to give himself another chance at a normal life—even at the expense of other people. The other characters include Jake’s “friends” and Emily’s teacher, Mr. Paulsen. Each provides an interesting snippet about the past.
Final Thoughts: The Promise of the Gateway is exciting, and, at times, frightening. Emily and Jake’s romance was less of a superficial infatuation and more of a deep connection that prevented the story from being heartbreaking and made it bittersweet. There are so many different things to like about The Promise of the Gateway: it is a book that could be read multiple times without losing interest. The characters are flawed and realistic, and even though the plot itself is fantastical, the themes and issues it addresses are relevant and relatable.
FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book reviewed above.
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Nick Iuppa began his film career with a Stanford apprenticeship at MGM Animation. There he worked with famed Bugs Bunny/Road Runner animator Chuck Jones and children’s author Dr. Seuss. Nick later became a staff writer for the Wonderful World of Disney. As VP Creative Director for Paramount Pictures, Nick did experimental work in interactive television and story-based simulations His science fiction/horror novel, Bloody Bess and the Doomsday Games, is based on the imagined outcomes of his experimental projects. Nick is the author of seven novels, Management by Guilt (Fawcett Books 1984—a Fortune Book Club selection) and eight technical books on interactive media. Nick has a master’s degree in film production from Stanford and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Ginny. For more about Nick, visit www.nickiuppa.com.
John P. Pesqueira grew up in Tucson, Arizona and fell in love with rock music, television, and the movies. His studies at the University of Arizona led him to media production and work at a local television news station as a reporter and news photographer. Although his path included studies at Stanford and Columbia Universities, and work as a TV director at the Hewlett-Packard Television Network, he never forgot his passion for the history of the American Southwest, Mexico, and the stories about the people of these regions. All these experiences have contributed to his writing and other expressions of his creative spirit. John lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Author photograph by Stephanie Dribus
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