A shout in the ruins by Kevin Powers
Sceptre, 2018. ISBN 9781473667785
(Age: 16+) Highly recommended. Powerfully written and well crafted,
this novel draws together two strands, one set during the cruel
times of slavery plantations and the American Civil War and the
other, ninety years and more later, as George Seldom sets out on a
path toward some kind of atonement. It is a complex weaving of
personal stories - the clues holding it together are a faded note,
an elkhorn handled knife, and a pair of cracked blood veined
glasses. The lives of slave owner Bob Reid and his teenage daughter
Emily, and the ruthless Frenchman, Levallois, are inextricably
intertwined with those of the slaves Rawls and Nurse, two lovers
that will never know freedom. Rawls is a 'runner' a would-be
escapee, and is hobbled to pay for it, his two big toes chopped off,
but he continues to hope that one day he will find the young girl,
Nurse, named for her wetnurse duties. The day they finally meet
again is a moment of silent overpowering emotion, neither of them
daring to speak. Can there be any chance of happiness for them in
the lawless violence of the times?
Author Kevin Powers served in the Iraq War, he obviously knows war
first hand, and it is depressing to realise that the violence he
describes must be written from experience, that men continue to
torture and kill each other now just as they did back then. However,
despite the horror and carnage depicted in the novel there are
glimpses of hope, people strive to love and care for each other, and
perhaps one day find a kind of peace.
I read this book, and then turned to the beginning and read it
through again. It is a complex book, the language is rich and
poetic, the story harsh and cruel, but not without hope. I
thoroughly enjoyed reading it - it is a rewarding read, and adds to
the understanding of what we are as human beings.
Helen Eddy