Focus. Click. Wind.
Focus. Click. Wind. by Amanda West Lewis leans into the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the late 1960s, but these details are merely a portal into something more significant: a depiction of the social consciousness of youth who were simultaneously navigating personal tragedy and government-sponsored violence.
The novel explores the struggles of Americans fleeing to Canada during the Vietnam War. The story is told through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Billie Taylor, a fearless photographer who repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way to document the bravery of a generation faced with impossible choices.
As Billie’s camera captures snapshots of history, Lewis shows us these moments through the lens of a sensitive, fierce, and emotionally complex teen. The author’s depiction of Billie does not shy away from the character’s immaturity, selfishness, or anger. Through this messy filter, Lewis depicts the thousands of young people who fled their country in a desperate attempt to survive.
The author skillfully weaves in the seismic events of 1968 while keeping her focus narrowly aimed at Billie and her mother. Their complicated relationship represents the two paths of resistance available to the main character, one rooted in community and kindness and the other awash in loneliness and violence. This book is challenging; Billie and her friends are hard to like. The author’s decision to put her character’s flaws front and center makes this book as compelling as the genuine history-changing photographs Lewis celebrates in her novel.
