Review of The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter
A few months ago I read The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter, and I feel like I need to say something about that. It's honestly one of the two or three finest novels I've ever read, and only for the sake of context I'll mention that my Ph.D. in German literature means I've read one or two novels in my time. The book has all the characteristics of a fiction novel, with really interesting characters, development of both plot and characters, and dialog that pulls you in.Β And, actually it's the dialog that really stands out for me. It seems more to me than simply an historical novel; reading the lines spoken by the characters makes me feel like the proverbial fly on the wall. Not a word seems used just for effect, dramatic or otherwise. The author is nearly invisible. Every word seems totally believable. And by having the characters spaek aboot everyday surroundings, events, their hopes and fears, from the minute to the momentous, the reader gets a sense of the extent to which outcomes in life are often at least determined greatly by surroundings, culture, and circumstance.
I'm a words guy, obviously I guess, but I'm just as obviously a soothmoother - or better an extreme soothwestmoother - and that plus an insatiable love of Shetland, both as a place and an idea, let me work through the dialect with joy if not always with ease (but I'm working on that!). And of course authenticity is the whole point, so from where I sit the dialog is a place where truth and pleasure meet.
Review of 'The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter', Jeff Smith, Cincinnati, USA, June 2023