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BOOK REVIEW: Lacombe author pens first novel “A Critical Human Error”

Barbara A. Glasier’s book touches on family, childhood innocence and redemption
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The climax of Lacombe Author Barbara A. Glasier’s first book A Critical Human Error: When Paternity is Not a Choice really draws you in.

Glasier’s lead-up to the main tension of her book is thorough, establishing each character as human and relatable — beginning with the arrival of an unknown young child, Sam, at the door of 61-year-old Meredith Taylor’s home.

“It was very emotional for me to write that point. I identify very heavily with Meredith,” Glasier said about the most heated events in her book.

What Glasier is able to accomplish in the climax is changing the readers expectations of where the story could go, while also keeping the story grounded in a realistic reality.

That reality is established with extensively researched information on how a family would work its way through the justice system, the child welfare system, the healthcare system and the education system in rural British Columbia and Alberta.

Glasier, a former nurse, said the healthcare part came easy but she needed to spend extra time on the others.

“With the child welfare system, I wasn’t really familiar with it and I did acknowledge a person from Dawson Creek who was helpful getting the information I needed to write that part,” she said.

That knack for research and the concise language allows the reader to not realize that this book is Glasier’s first book. The decision to began writing came after the story arc of her novel came to her in a dream.

”Dreams usually disappear from your memory almost immediately. This one stayed with me and by the end of the day, I was still thinking about it. I thought ‘I could write a bloody book about that’. I went to the computer and started writing. The story unfolded from there,” she said.

The story that came to her brilliantly touches on family, relationships, sexual trauma, childhood innocence and towards the end — redemption. Luckily for readers who enjoyed the book, Glasier also left questions for another day.

“After I ended the book, I began to realize how many loose ends there were and I realized that is okay. I think there is sequel here. My readers in the comments have been asking for a sequel,” she said.

A quick look on the book’s website shows that a sequel was not the only thing readers were excited for.

“Some of the comments are from my friends and acquaintances, so you expect good things from them but quite a few of them I don’t know — so when they came in, it really felt like I had something,” she said.

The experience of writing her first novel has led Glasier to wanting to let people know that is it never too late to try something new and she thanked the Lacombe Writers Group for their support.

If you would like to read Glacier’s book, you can log on to www.criticalhumanerror.com or you can contact her directly at barbara@criticalhumanerror.com

She added, “In my retirement, it has given me a purpose I didn’t have before.”



todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com

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