​​Mr. French's manner of story telling is unique and his writing masterful and precise. I feel I'm being mesmerized bass I read- if that can be possible - as if I'm watching a painting being made, brush strokes by brush stroke. His style is invisible, he is not standing between the reader and the story. And the story seems to materialize out of itself.
 
 Mr. French's #1 talent as a writer is his way of generating living, breathing characters. I became aware of his flair for this about half way through the book. I had been reflecting upon what I had just read when I realized that I have a high definition image of the main character, Brit, and that I have no recollection of reading lengthy passages that describe her in such fine detail. My dawning was this:  she was assembled by me from lots of little pieces, unrelated quirks, gestures, stray thoughts. Perhaps this is the same mechanism that we use when we come to "know" someone, that we form a composite from the bits and pieces of what we observe. Here we areaquainted with High School seniors in the process of sifting and solidifying the traits that will define their future roles. The readers are on a parallel course with that of the characters, we are aquiring an ever increasing detailed image of them as they gain deeper understanding of themselves. In one memorable scene, we become more familiar with Nathan through the eyes of Brit as she clandestinely surveys the contents of his bedroom through a closed window. His possessions help us to understand the diverse factors influencing his internal make up, subtle hints ,that become obvious with hindsight , of the ingredients that will flavor his unfolding personality disorders.  Here, Mr. French's fluid manner of description is cinematic, successfully emulating that of Hitchcock in the opening scene of Rear Window.
 
 Cliffhanger is a purely fun-to-read novel. We become witness to aspects of average American High School life coalesce into a promise of a greater future, one that they will play a part in designing.
 

On the eve of your inauguration to the highest office in the land, I wanted to pass along the thoughts of someone you’ll likely never know or meet.   I don’t mean to be a scolding parent.  I’m just Joe Citizen, living in a great country.  

If you want me to like you, I hope you can start by being more civil.  Be respectful of people whose politics you don’t agree with or whose words have hurt you.     Show that open mindedness is preferable to reflex partisanship. Erase “loser,” “garbage” and other name-calling from your vocabulary.  Think of all of us  Joe Citizens as your extended family. We don’t expect to be invited to  Thanksgiving or Christmas at the White House,  but look us in the eye and tell us the truth whenever possible.

If you want me to respect you, study and read the appropriate material before you speak on any serious subject.  Shooting from the hip is for people who don’t know the importance of consequences.  Refrain from thinking of world leaders as a battle of  the superheroes or clash of the titans, but if you must, know that winning is not a zero-sum game.  Don’t keep secrets that you wouldn’t abide in others.  Refrain from rumors.  To paraphrase a song of your generation and mine, love and tolerance are a temple, love and tolerance are the highest thing.

If you want me to have faith in your presidency, never do anything that I’d be ashamed of if I did it,  because sooner or later the word gets out.   Everything you’ve done in the past, I forgive you.  Everything you do in the future, our lives depend on it.  So do our children’s and grandchildren’s.  Trust the judgment and wisdom of people around you who do their jobs well.   That’s about it.
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Michael R. French
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Michael sits down to chat with host Dan Mayfield about his characters social media. You can "friend" Alex Baten and Jaleel Robeson here: