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The Epic of the Ordinary–

In Barbara Schnell’s “First Year” we embark on a journey into the “epic” of the ordinary as we journey with the talented protagonist–a young actress-- from “less than legendary” mythical Los Angeles into the unknown trials and tribulations of exile in– South Dakota!  After a whirlwind romance she marries and follows her husband to grad school in his hometown of Brookings, South Dakota where she wonders if she’s signed on for connubial bliss or miss. Thrust into the arena of in-laws, outlaws, academia, the pinch of gender generated expectations, and small town “prairie home” pragmatism, she encounters what seem at first like Stepford church ladies, and men with the emotional range of the nearby Mt. Rushmore gang. It’s enough to turn any girl an occasional “Medea.” As she turns from anomaly to influence, we see some of “the girls” turn into Trojan Women and explore new tactics and entitlements.  Greek drama got at universal truths through the epic stories of the gods and monsters and vulnerable human beings in all of us.  Schnell takes us on an endearing, enlightened, and thoroughly enjoyable journey to universal truths through the epic of everyday life.  En route I found myself nodding my head in recognition. I laughed. I sighed. I even cried –(which may be illegal for men in South Dakota). I know these people. “First Year” kicks our proverbial American Gothic flying buttresses– but doesn’t remove our quintessentially American underpinnings.  This isn’t a book of pot shots and good laughs at the expense of Midwesterners.  Schnell is an engaging storyteller– and a compassionate and wise observer of human behavior in her book that is very American, very universal, and very entertaining.  

James Koenig, Director/Founder of Scandinavia/LA Film Festival, author of And the Meter is Running…,