A hard-hitting, poignant tale…
Set in Cornwall, England and Virginia and southwestern Wisconsin in America from 1826 to 1871, Linde’s stunning latest weaves actual historical situations and people into a fictionalized narrative to tell the story of one man’s journey of hardships and retribution. When twenty-two-year-old George Terrill, a man living in the shadows of mines who could trace his roots back to high-gentry of France, left with his young wife and widow and infant son of his childhood friend for America, he has nothing else but dreams of ever-elusive freedom on his mind. Determined to survive, the Terrills witness it all — oppression, depression, resurrection and, finally, retribution. Linde’s impeccably researched narrative sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of indigenous people and black slave people’s plight. The Terrill family go through countless griefs, but it’s Linde’s secondary characters, especially the native Indians and black slaves who face unthinkable horrors throughout the novel. Linde commendably portrays the sheer resilience that keep them alive. The readers should be prepared for graphic scenes of sex, extreme violence, physical and sexual abuse of minors, and bloodshed. The underlying theme of oppression and its justification from the perspective of one person (George in this case as he justifies his own role in a brutal death) is handled with skill and precision. This is as much a story of oppression and liberty as it’s of love, family ties, and resilience. Historical fictions lovers won’t want to miss this one.
