I
submerged myself in two works by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Geraldine
Brooks this month: The Secret Chord
and The People of the Book.
I
was first introduced to the work of Brooks through a book club’s selection of Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague.
I no doubt would have never picked up this book on my own, because of its
subject matter. That would have been a great loss to me as since then she has
become one of my favorite authors. Brooks is a master at the art of historical
fiction. She says she loves a structural framework of historical fact and from
that she builds her story.
The Secret Chord is a novel about King
David told from the point of view of his soothsayer, Natan. It begins with David's conception, follows his difficult childhood and years as a common shepherd,
describes his garnering fame by slaying Goliath with a slingshot, and charts
his years as King. The tale is not linear but moves back and forth through his
life to help us understand the man as Brooks depicts him. Brooks does not
glorify David in the least. He is shown with all the violent and ruthless
choices he made along with their sometimes devastating consequences.
The People of the Book is another work of historical fiction based on the
real, famous, ancient illustrated manuscript, The Sarajevo Haggadah. The story
follows a rare book expert as she is called in to verify, restore and preserve
this incredible work. During her examination of the text she discovers ancient
artifacts within the manuscript which provide clues to its journey of survival
of more than five hundred years. Each
artifact, a butterfly wing, salt crystals, a wine stain, a white hair, has its
own story within
the story. This is beautifully constructed fiction that again travels back and
forth through time.
I
have to say, this is not light reading. Perhaps it was more difficult because I
was experiencing both books simultaneously. In particular, the violence of the
past and the heinous acts done in the name of religion have stayed with me. Not
for the faint of heart, but if you like historical fiction, no one does it
better than Geraldine Brooks.
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