Caleb and his father are inseparable, two showmen bound by the tie of their beautiful new puppet theatre, described in rich and evocative detail. Life has never been better, with generous audiences, and Caleb’s father protecting him (both physically and emotionally) from any jibes about his mixed race origins from disagreeable strangers. Then his father is sentenced to transportation, accused of stealing a purse – and Caleb knows he was framed.
Alone for the first time in his short life, he heads to the aunt he never knew he had, finding a less than warm welcome. But when his father’s body washes up on the beach, the whole family must pull together to fight the corruption that is everywhere.
Some of my favourite books ever have been historical novels, and this is certainly one to add to my list. Based on the scandalous discovery of Thomas Benson’s villainy in the 18th century, it combines an exciting and well-researched plot with faultless discussion of very complex issues.
To Landman’s credit, she doesn’t try to ‘dumb down’ her writing to make it appeal to younger readers, instead preferring to write simply and honestly, keeping her description well within the historical context – this is not one of those novels that simply seem to lecture their audience! At the same time, though, she manages to explore ideas such as racism and stereotypical gender roles in such a way as to leave the reader with a sense of injustice and the absurdity of them. For example, Caleb is rubbish at rowing, throwing up as soon as he steps off dry land, whereas Letty, a seamstress, has been prevented from following her dream of becoming a rower by the restraints of being ‘ladylike’.
It is extraordinarily easy to empathise with Caleb, a character who is strong and brave no matter what he faces, and unflinchingly honest and just no matter how corrupt his surroundings. He could have been designed as a role model, yet he still seems completely and utterly real. And for me that was the magic of this book: I genuinely cared about the characters, something that I find increasingly rare in teen fiction.
Overall, an amazing novel which left me lost for words – everyone should read it. Can I give it eleven out of ten?
- Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
