Patricia Lacy joins us today from South Carolina where she reviews 2014 Edgar nominee, The Resurrectionist by Matthew Guinn, which is set in her home state.
The title of this novel, presented me with a quandary, because based on the title, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it. I was afraid it would be about zombies. I went cautiously ahead, allowing myself permission to stop on any page I chose, but I kept turning pages filled with descriptions, plots and characters that made me forget everything else. This author provided all the ingredients.
The book goes back and forth between the 1860s to modern times. It covers education, slavery, racism with plenty of opportunities to provoke thought.
Among the thousands of South Carolina resident transplants, I was entranced with the accurate pictures of places in the state that I know so well.
The character, Jacob, caught me up as I followed him through the historical glimpses and how the changes in the country did not really improve the nature of mankind in regard to others who were perceived as inferior. It was an intriguing journey for both Jacob and me as we got to the end of the novel.
The character of Nemo gave the reader a whole different perspective as the author tossed him across the years into more recent history. He seems to have been drawn by the author to demonstrate the differences between the 1960s and modern times.
The book, read through, provokes the reader to not only think, but to also dissect modern life, not only in the south but throughout the world.
Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between the time periods as the author switches back and forth between time periods. I think that could have been accomplished more easily for the reader. But I hung in there and I am glad I did.
I finished this book in an afternoon for the narrative itself. The characters Jacob and Nemo pushed me on to the very end.
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