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All Souls' Rising

Madison Smartt Bell

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Aug 28, 2020 Steve rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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One of the best historical novels I've read. But read "historical novel" here as in the sense Absalom, Absalom is an historical novel. Bell obviously did a lot of research into the history of the Haitian revolt (some of which, when it gets to the various factions, is quite complicated). Bell accomplishes this through (like Faulkner) various voices, with one of the primary ones being Dr. Herbert, who opens the novel by riding up upon a recently crucified (and pregnant) slave woman. That's a big r One of the best historical novels I've read. But read "historical novel" here as in the sense Absalom, Absalom is an historical novel. Bell obviously did a lot of research into the history of the Haitian revolt (some of which, when it gets to the various factions, is quite complicated). Bell accomplishes this through (like Faulkner) various voices, with one of the primary ones being Dr. Herbert, who opens the novel by riding up upon a recently crucified (and pregnant) slave woman. That's a big red flag from what's coming. Herbert, who is not a native to Haiti, is searching for his sister, who has seemingly disappeared after the death of her husband. It rumored that she may have had a daughter. Hebert's voice is the main voice of reason and compassion throughout the novel. (He is also a crack shot, which will become helpful later on.) There is also a good priest who is one of the most believably Christian characters I've encountered in literature. But there is also a bad one. Really bad. The other main character is Toussaint L’Overature, a slave, who would eventually rise to command the Haitian forces. Toussaint L’Overature is a complicated character who early on plays things close to the vest when the revolt begins, eventually moving into a position of authority, commanding the Haitian forces against multiple enemies (who are themselves divided, and fighting among themselves). While all of this going, larger events, like the French Revolution, are playing out. This is a novel that can be incredibly brutal, with a level of atrocity I've only found in a few books Ive read (Cormac McCarthy's blood soaked Blood Meridian comes to mind), but that also be quite beautiful in its descriptions of the Haitian landscape, and there are even touching and noble moments among the human actors. You also might even see a zombie! Highly recommended, but not for the squeamish. [Apologies to anyone who saw the earlier version of this review. The internet crashed, and half of it was lost. I didn't even know this review was showing until this morning.] ...more

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