The Gravedigger's Dream

by Don Best

On the banks of the Amazon sits a desperate little village named Jacaré. Only Zé Licata, the gravedigger and infamous drunk, holds a dream for a better future. But will his bitterness destroy the very thing he hopes for?

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2021

About the author

From Puerto Rico to Paraguay, from Rio de Janeiro into the wilds of the Amazon, Don Best has lived the life of a world traveler and expatriate writer.

Over a career that has spanned more than 35 years, Don has held senior editorial positions with various publications, authored six books, and established a successful career as a freelance writer and public speaker.

His new two-part novel - The Gravedigger’s Dream and The Third Promise – was inspired by ten years of laughter, tears and lessons hard-won in the Brazilian Amazon. The books comprise the Rivers Wild Series, published by Brimstone Fiction.

While working as a journalist in Rio de Janeiro, Don met his wife, Betty. Together they have formed a wonderful marriage, raised two fine sons, and created a successful writer-photographer team that has lasted four decades. Today they make their home near Charleston, exploring the teeming jungles of South Carolina.

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Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

So few books develop deep characters, but Don Best does a really beautiful job of bringing Ze and his community to life in the imagination. I was captured by the village of Jacare and it's inhabitants almost immeditately. The details of the setting of remote village life in the Amazon and the lives of these simple people, yet with the same human complexities we all have, wove a beautiful picture, an intriguing story, and drew me into the life of Ze. I became immersed in a unique culture I had not been familiar with, while deeply intrigued by the human story of Ze as he desires all the good things any of us would desire: family, friends, success, self worth and to make things in his village better than they have been, especially for the ones he loves. Ze has a huge heart and wants to do good and be good, but with each decision and circumstance come consequences and few of them turn out as he had hoped, from traveling to the "big city" to help his village establish a school, to his contract with the village witch to seek justice for his dear friend, with many more twists and turns inbetween. Among the other characters, I have a very particular affinity for the Irish missionary who has ventured to this remote village of Jacare and for all his love and desire to effectively communicate with the villagers, so very different from the culture he's come from, on top of the fact that he speaks very basic and bad Portuguese, is a roller coaster that runs from hysterically funny to heartbreaking in the loneliness and disillusionment he experiences. My favorite books are those where I cannot forget the characters and their struggles and successes after the last page, and The Gravedigger's Dream is one of those. Book one leaves you on the edge of your seat, in the middle of Ze's quandry, fighting for his very soul, and unsure if he has a way out. When I turned the last page, I felt inclined to actually say a little prayer for Ze, encouraging him to hang on for book two!

[Iwill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but I was sucked into it right from the start. The characters are real and compelling, and the story keeps you reading to see what's going to happen next. The over-arching story moves along by means of many smaller arcs as the characters get into various situations. This helps to flesh out the world and the characters so that the reader feels like s/he knows this place and knows these people. I have no personal experience with the place or the culture, yet Best sketched out the characters and filled them in so thoroughly that they seemed like people I've known, living in a place not too unlike places I have been before. But that's the real trick, isn't it? Whether the characters are in a galaxy far, far away, or upon the parapet of a great stone castle, or in a bustling metropolis...or in the Amazon Rain Forest, a writer should suck the reader in to the people and places by making them so real you can't imagine that they are not. That's what Best did in The Gravedigger's Dream. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. So many times characters are developed and lack personality. You feel as though you are reading "about" them and not really immersed in their lives. This is not the case in The Gravedigger's Dream. The author does an incredible job of thoroughly working the characters where you forget you're reading a book. You are immersed in this world with twists, turns, and always something to you going page after page. I wound up reading the book in 3 nights, because I couldn't put it down. When I got to the end, I could hardly believe it because I wanted more.
I almost feel like I could go out and find this village and meet the people in it because it was so real and fantastic. I've actually been to the Amazon and the fact that it was set there was just an extra bonus.
If you like books that will transport you, allow you to get lost in another world and be "part" of a community with enough drama, laughter and incredible sense of adventure....This is the book for you

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Best’s novel The Gravedigger's Dream takes place in a remote Amazonian village. Ze Licata’s dream of lifting his community up from the dark ages is thwarted by corruption of a magistrate in a far-away Brazilian city. Ze’s grueling three-day journey on the Amazon ends in violence against him and his fellow villager. The gravedigger reacts. Will he be able to pull his jungle village and its picturesque inhabitants out of grinding poverty, or is his main concern a simple and brutal revenge? His moral choice propels the story forward. Ze enlists a terror of a witch, Alzira, whose shape-shifting talents illustrate well the beauty and the ugliness of his own conflicts and the jungle world which all the characters inhabit. By the end of this, the first part of the story, we do not know what price Ze will be forced to make to pay for his vengeance.
I read the manuscript before publication and was pulled into the world of the Amazon through Best’s prose, which floats off the page.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a history buff, I loved that Best used actual events in Brazil's political history as drivers to the plot. So many wonderful, believable characters, with dialog that rings true to the ear. Just when I'd think, "Oh, I know where this is going," I'd turn the page and find "real" people making unexpected choices in the midst of complex, no-win circumstances. Just enough dread to tighten the stomach. Just enough salacious innuendo to paint the picture without crossing over into voyeuristic detail. Just enough teeth in the undercurrent of evil to cause a genuine cringe of horror. Throw in the universality of familial love, the dulling sameness of daily life, and the human need for MORE -- for a vision and a hope. . . . Yes, I've been captured by this poor gravedigger's dream! Loved reading it, start to finish. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Burton Boucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gravedigger’s Dream is a thought-provoking journey into the lives and future of a small remote village deep in the Amazon. Freedom and opportunity, the universal desires of every family everywhere come vividly to life following Ze’s reality of the world around him. Danger, suspense, and purpose with humor in the midst of life is inexplicably relatable though it is totally foreign. Ze’s lukewarm fervor for government freedom starts him down a path of purpose in his village, his home, and those around him. Life in the village of Jacaré as it happens is so real, taking the reader through the winding trails and waterways of the Amazon. Beautifully written and entertaining.

[Regina Helena Eberle dos Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received the book to read from the author before the launch day. The Gravediggers Dream is a very well written and captivating story set in a small village in the Amazon. It realistically describes the life and culture of the riverside village with humor and compassion. The main character Zé Licata and his dream takes you on a fascinating journey. I immediately became involved and found it difficult to put down.

[Becky Joellenbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gravedigger’s Dream is an engaging, realistic portrayal of life in a river village on the Amazon. The author develops his characters skillfully and with a sense of humor. His colorful use of both English and Portuguese (there’s a great glossary!) made for a fun, fast read. There is a cliffhanger, but that’s okay because the next book in the series is slated to come out next January. Can’t wait!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Gravedigger’s Dream and can't wait for part 2!! The imagery is stunning, the characters compelling, and the balance between whimsical humor and the harsh realities of life in poverty masterfully conveyed. The characters are engaging and real; the depiction of life on the island is riveting, and the struggle between good and evil is beautifully woven into the story with cultural/linguistic artistry!

[Linda Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought new meaning to life in the Amazon and the hearts of people there. It’s so easy to get caught up in our own world that we forget there are people living differently than ourselves, or at least we don’t think about it . Don brings his characters to life. The book left me waiting for the next in the series.

[Lisa Rigge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gravedigger's Dream took me on a journey I'd never been on before. The main character (Ze Licata) is a gravedigger in the wilds of the Amazon. That he has much to overcome in his life is an understatement, making him both a likable, yet flawed, character. Living in poverty and wanting to make life better for your family and community is no easy task.

Don Best is a master at writing dialogue, which moves the story forward at a comfortable pace. I read The Gravedigger's Dream over the course of a few evenings. It's well worth the time to explore the dreams of Ze and enjoy the writing by Don Best.

[Dawn Kinzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Best has used his experiences as a missionary to create a compelling, fast-paced story that immerses readers in the lives, politics, and culture of the people who reside in the Amazon. It’s easy to believe that the characters and what’s taking place on the book’s pages are not a figment of the author’s imagination but real people and happenings.

One of my favorite characters is the likable missionary, Mick O’Hannon. He doesn’t force his faith on anyone but instead focuses on reaching out to people through humor, kindness, and developing relationships.

Instead of writing the book from the missionary’s point of view, which might have been easier for the author, the story is told from a non-Christian’s point of view. An interesting decision—and a good one. Readers experience events and emotions through the eyes of Ze Licata, who leaves the military police, returns to his village, and becomes the local gravedigger.

Ze is a multi-faceted character. While a flawed man and a heavy drinker who is not always kind to his wife, he’s devoted to his raising his nephew as his own and providing a better life for his “son.” Despite some nasty behaviors, he’s a man with a heart who believes education is a way out of poverty for his son and the village. But nothing is easy when dealing with a corrupt political system. As a reader, I felt Ze’s deep desire to accomplish something good for his people as well as the overwhelming sense of hopelessness. When Ze makes desperate decisions and takes incredible risks to make a way for his dreams to come true, readers are held in suspense as to the outcome.

I was drawn in and enjoyed the story, yet I struggled with how to rate this book. I’m giving it 4.5 stars instead of 5.

My reasoning? I knew The Gravedigger’s Dream was Book 1 in a series, so I expected to see some subplots left open with teasers as to what might come in Book 2. But nothing was resolved by the end of this one. The story ends abruptly, leaving readers with a cliffhanger. I felt a little cheated. I wanted—needed—to feel some hope for Ze.

I still recommend The Gravedigger’s Dream because it is a well-written intriguing tale. But potential readers, be prepared to purchase Book 2 if you want to get any answers as to what happens to Ze, his family, the Irish missionary, or the village.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setting for this book is a small, remote village on the Amazon River. The story takes place during the 1970s. I like books with rich character development, and I expect to be immersed in a culture different from mine. I also expect to learn about a different culture when I read a novel, yet see the human traits that transcend time and place. Don did not disappoint. I look forward to the sequel coming out in October.