GETTING into this book was like watching the launch of a space ship.
For a while there was plenty of smoke and fire, but no momentum – like an army marching time – and then the afterburners kicked in and the spectacular lift-off followed.
Peter Cleary methodically sets the scene in the early chapters and I admit that for a while I thought he had lost his fluent touch.
But once the pieces started coming together, the building blocks were established and the picture began emerging at his familiar, incredible pace.
The analogy of a tapestry comes to mind: the reverse side is all loose threads, chaotic and seemingly unconnected.
But turn over the completed item and its perfection is obvious.
Based on a fragment of history he unearthed by chance, Peter has methodically and with much research and effort constructed yet another semi-fictional masterpiece.
Whose pen but his could span three generations of ‘damaged’ young men (whose wits are as sharp as their knives), as many continents and as diverse scenes as the Eastern Cape frontier, the Liverpool docks, the Wild West and a Mormon pilgrimage?
By the end, the circle is dramatically completed, with a surprising twist in the tale.
Peter Cleary is a story teller of the highest order.
He has perfected the knack of drawing the reader into the narrative, making one an accomplice to the story, rather than a passive outsider.
This book is no exception.
*I had the privilege of reading the electronic version – it’s still on the way to the printers!
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