Book Blurb:
Annapolis Royal, 1755. When frontier tensions boil over, the people of Acadie find themselves caught between two warring empires. Hoping to remain neutral, the Acadians are shocked when the English government instead orders them rounded up and exiled, their lands forfeited and their homes burned.
Torn from his family, his home destroyed, blacksmith Isaac Doiron is trapped in the infernal hold of a transport ship heading out to sea. Determined to reunite with his wife and son, he hungers for escape.
When all hope seems lost, he meets a prisoner on board who will change the course of his life forever.
Set during one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history, The Banished tells the tragic saga of the Acadians, and how a small group of them risked their lives for a chance at freedom.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/msXN
Author Bio:
Alex MacLean is the author of Grave Situation, One Kill Away, and Sorrowful Road. He makes his home in Canada where he has spent many years working in the security industry. His fourth novel, The Banished, is now available.
He's currently working on another novel in the Allan Stanton series.
Editorial Review: “The Banished”
Author: Alex MacLean
““Isaac tipped his head back against the hull and drew a harrowed breath. He was in a sweat, his hands shaking. I lost him, he thought. I lost my son. That knowledge ate away at his insides, leaving a hollowness in his chest. If only he’d gone with Simon and Emeline to the forest, the three of them could have escaped and been safe. He would have to live with that mistake for the rest of his life. Everyone in the hold, the adults at least, were talking about their newfound destination.
“Where is North Carolina?” someone asked in French.
“South,” a man answered. “Far south.”
“Have you ever been there?”
“Non. But I heard the winters are milder than ours.”
Another man gave a quick snort. “Oh, that’s a relief.”
“How long will it take to get there?”
“A month. If we’re lucky.””
In 1755, life changed forever for the people of Acadie, in the Nova Scotia region. The Acadians had formed a French North American colony, and then fell victim to conflicts between other groups during the turbulence of early North American settlement. “The Banished” by Alex MacLean in an immersive novel that will firmly anchor the reader in these times, merging loss of home, family, community, with a father’s love for his son. A horrific sequence of events confronts Isaac Dorion, none of his making, or within his control. His desperation to save, or at least accompany, his young son Simon into the unknown is a relatable yet catastrophic choice, but in such circumstances, there is no such thing as a good one.
There are many highlights in this novel, but the chief reason to add “The Banished” to your reading list – and fast – is the rawness of the emotion in the story, and the hopelessness and helplessness of Isaac as he battles to rescue his son, and to confirm the fate of his wife Emeline. This powerful human dilemma is matched by the descriptive maritime scenes, and the edge-of-seat conflict as Isaac makes the choice to fight for freedom. Much of the storyline is set at sea, and MacLean uses the relative isolation of the setting to full advantage. Intense conversations, and the excruciating minutiae of daily routine, must serve to illustrate the story, for there is no escape from the hold of this ship, until, well, that would be telling!
“Nakuset crossed his arms. He looked away, his eyes growing distant, his features softening, becoming almost haunted. After some length, he said, “What does the boy propose we do now?”
After Isaac informed him, Nakuset discussed it with Marten and Pilip. “We agree,” he said. “Best we move by dark. The moon will help light our way tonight.”
Isaac turned back to Elijah. “No doubt you’re getting sick of me asking, but how much farther?”
Elijah blew out a breath. “We should be able to cross Cape Cod Bay, go overland to Buzzards Bay, and travel down it a fair distance by dawn. There are long tracts of forests between the towns and ports. We can set up camp and rest through the day. No one will even know we are there. If we don’t reach New London overnight tomorrow, we certainly will the next.”
Isaac placed a hand over his heart. He could feel himself becoming anxious. For a long moment, he watched Emeline as she scanned Boston again with the spyglass. Please, God, he prayed silently. Let us find our son.
The author has clearly undertaken significant historical research, although this is expertly used as background and does not overwhelm the story. The English, competing French interests, and the Native American Mi’kmaw people all feature in the story, and the colonists’ reliance on (and learning from) the Mi’kmaw is realistically portrayed. “The Banished” also touches on the exchange of knowledge between cultures, as Isaac refers to traditional medicine when he is injured.
The writing style at times does arguably distance the reader from the action and from Isaac’s internal thoughts, but many readers, this reviewer included, will overlook such minor hiccups while this incredible storyline keeps them compulsively turning the pages.
“Off to his right, two Mi’kmaw women were removing smelts from the smoking racks and replacing them with fresh ones. Children of both people were racing wooden hoops along the ground with their hands and sticks. The hide on the Acadians’ wigwam was open, and men and women sat inside, playing the game of Waltes. Nakuset looked out at the river, swollen and muddy. His eyes came to rest on a small boy standing upon the bank. His name was Mise’l, son of Tuma and Mali. He had fashioned a piece of bark into the shape of a tiny canoe and fixed another piece upright for a sail. He was allowing the current to carry it away for a short distance downriver before pulling it back with a line he had tied to it. Nakuset made a sad face. He wondered if Mise’l would have the chance to grow into a great hunter like his father. Will he even see adulthood? Will any of the Mi’kmaw children?”
“The Banished” by Alex MacLean will send the reader straight back in time to 1755, where human tragedy tests the human spirit and immeasurable cruelty is balanced by friendship and hope. To say this is a rollicking adventure yarn may be a cliché however “The Banished” is anything but, with its vivid characterization and use of historical events to underpin a gripping storyline featuring one man, his family and his people.
*****
"The Banished” by Alex MacLean receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest,please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
Comments