FICTION

Love and Lament

by John Milliken Thompson
Other. 2013. 400p. ISBN 9781590515877. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9781590515884. F
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In a family beset by extraordinary hardships and misfortunes, Mary Bet Hartsoe, the youngest and rapidly becoming the last living of nine children, comes of age in rural North Carolina during the late 1880s through World War I. Although industrialization and war bring about many changes—progress, in the form of railroads, electricity, telephones, and indoor plumbing—the old value systems continue their hold. Women cannot vote, non-Christians cannot hold public office, and African Americans are treated as inferior. As a woman, Mary Bet is drawn toward the future, attracted by what she sees as the dance of life between women and men, yet the past maintains its fierce grip on her as she battles to rectify the balance of her days against the weight of what she has lived already.
VERDICT Beginning with the book's apt title, Thompson (The Reservoir) has written an engaging and intriguing portrayal of America's Reconstruction and industrialization period to draw readers into an engrossing story, told with strong characterization and meticulous attention to detail.
Reviewed by Joyce Townsend, Pittsburg, CA , Sep 01, 2013
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