The setting of this
tale is fascinating, we think we know New York, but going back this
far in the city's history is rare. For most the colonial history of
what became the USA is overlooked – history began again with the
War of Independence, yet here we have stepped back beyond that
dividing line. It is a city (or rarely a town) that celebrates the
King's Birthday and Bonfire Night – a little bit of England beyond
the sea.
And into this
carefully crafted setting Spufford provides a rich and well balanced
cast of characters. As part of the twists of the plot we do not get
to know the central character Smith completely, and perhaps because
of this Spufford avoids becoming drawn exclusively to Smith and gives
the other characters real weight as well.
The story is full of
incident, a certain about of it humorous bordering on farce and yet
somehow never ridiculous – you brought into it all. This allowed
Spufford to side step the trap that many historical novels fall into,
becoming so wrapped up in historical details that they become a
lecture rather than a novel.
Running through the
novel is the question “who is Smith?” - a question he asks
himself as often as those around him. I will not reveal the answer,
but I think the answer when you get to it still feels partial or
provisional – what happens next after the narrative's end probably
will be the true test of Smith – and we are left to wonder, left to
weave, that answer for ourselves.
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