March 3, 2021 at 4:12 p.m.
Harnack releases second edition of 'Links of the Chain'
Harnack releases second edition of 'Links of the Chain'
By Stephanie Kuski-
Although the narrative is fiction, the story is based on Harnack's experiences trekking from Buffalo, New York to a rural town in Wisconsin's Northwoods each summer to visit his grandfather's cabin. Harnack said he recently had more time to reflect on these experiences and revisit the story he had written so many years ago.
Set in the small fictional town of Sherman, Wis., the story exists in that space between personal history and total fiction, and this book is the product of that intersection. Harnack reflects on his time spent in the rural North, juxtaposing the fast-and-loud pace of city life with the cool, carefree tempo of Northwoods summers.
The book is written as a series of stories that span decades. Characters come and go throughout the novel, while others reappear at different times and in different stories. Although the stories are strung together in this way, they feed into each other like a chain of lakes that link otherwise isolated bodies of water together.
Place, time and memory are recurring motifs. Harnack noted that "Links of the Chain" speaks to the importance of place, and for him, that place is a small town in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. In his book, he shares conversations exchanged on the lakeshore, takes readers on a stroll through the streets of Sherman and offers a taste of what it felt like to be young and in love on a hot summer day.
"When I was younger, I kinda looked at it as my safe place," Harnack said. "Of course, wherever you go on vacation as a kid is going to be great... But for me, I considered it my safe place and in some ways still do."
But over the years, our memory of the places we once held dear naturally changes with time. As a child vacationing in the Northwoods, Harnack was free of the responsibility he now shoulders as the owner of that cabin he once visited as a small boy. These stories not only capture those childhood memories, but actually retells them from an older, wiser perspective.
Harnack's story also speaks to the malleability of memory, as he revisits these experiences of his youth and reflects on them later in life. Because the narrative is pieced together in fragments, it mirrors the fragmented nature of recalling one's childhood memories. He switches back and forth between the past and present using italics to signal the transition, which elicits a sense of revisiting moments of the past during times of the present.
Harnack said his love for the vast stretches of water and forests in the Northwoods still draws him to the area, and he said he visits his cabin whenever he gets a chance.
In a way, Harnack said writing about his experiences in Northern Wisconsin keeps him connected to the area. In metropolitan cities like Buffalo he said there's a sense of animosity that is almost nonexistent in small rural towns where everyone knows everyone. This way, he explores those nuances, diving deep into the subtleties of life in rural Wisconsin.
Harnack noted that storytelling became important to him as a result of his writing and music influences. That sense of storytelling is also present in his novel, which harkens back to the Northwoods' rich traditions of telling stories both as a means of self-expression as well as passing down oral histories.
Those interested in reading Harnack's "Links of the Chain" can purchase an eBook by visiting linksofthechain.com and hard copies are available for purchase on Amazon Books.
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