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REVIEW: THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS
The Nation (Thailand)
July 30, 2012 Monday
The Sandcastle Girls
By Chris Bohjalian
Published by Doubleday
It takes a talented novelist to combine fully ripened characters, an
engrossing storyline, exquisite prose and set it against a horrific
historical backdrop - in this case, the Armenian genocide - and
completely enchant readers.
The prolific and captivating Chris Bohjalian has done it all - again -
with his 15th book, "The Sandcastle Girls".
Readers will recognise the author from his best-selling "Midwives",
which caught Oprah Winfrey's attention in 1998. This time, it's 1915
and, again, his protagonist is a feisty woman, Elizabeth Endicott,
a 21-year-old graduate of Mount Holyoke who shatters stereotypes
by travelling to Syria to deliver food and aid to refugees of the
genocide.
And, again, Bohjalian shifts his novel back and forth in time to
simultaneously tell the story of Laura Petrosian, an Armenian-American
writer living in New York. It never feels clunky or tough to follow.
Instead, it's seamless and keeps the reader flowing evenly through
the story.
It's worth noting that even though Bohjalian is a man, his ability
to successfully inhabit the female mind and accurately depict his
characters' inner lives is amazing.
"The Sandcastle Girls", while perhaps not the "beachy" read its
title implies, is a fascinating journey through time and history. It
also educates readers about a little-known, but significant period in
history - "How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing,"
his author-character writes. "You kill them in the middle of nowhere."
REVIEWED BY KIM CURTIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Nation (Thailand)
July 30, 2012 Monday
The Sandcastle Girls
By Chris Bohjalian
Published by Doubleday
It takes a talented novelist to combine fully ripened characters, an
engrossing storyline, exquisite prose and set it against a horrific
historical backdrop - in this case, the Armenian genocide - and
completely enchant readers.
The prolific and captivating Chris Bohjalian has done it all - again -
with his 15th book, "The Sandcastle Girls".
Readers will recognise the author from his best-selling "Midwives",
which caught Oprah Winfrey's attention in 1998. This time, it's 1915
and, again, his protagonist is a feisty woman, Elizabeth Endicott,
a 21-year-old graduate of Mount Holyoke who shatters stereotypes
by travelling to Syria to deliver food and aid to refugees of the
genocide.
And, again, Bohjalian shifts his novel back and forth in time to
simultaneously tell the story of Laura Petrosian, an Armenian-American
writer living in New York. It never feels clunky or tough to follow.
Instead, it's seamless and keeps the reader flowing evenly through
the story.
It's worth noting that even though Bohjalian is a man, his ability
to successfully inhabit the female mind and accurately depict his
characters' inner lives is amazing.
"The Sandcastle Girls", while perhaps not the "beachy" read its
title implies, is a fascinating journey through time and history. It
also educates readers about a little-known, but significant period in
history - "How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing,"
his author-character writes. "You kill them in the middle of nowhere."
REVIEWED BY KIM CURTIS, ASSOCIATED PRESS