Chapter 12 - How Do You Say That?
I love author events especially when I know and love the author's works. This past week I was fortunate to attend an event for Chris Bohjalian (pronounced Bo-jail-yun) at Pine Lakes Country Club & Golf Course. This is a beautiful venue with lovely space reminiscent of an Old South plantation house. The golf course itself is often termed "The Granddaddy" as was Myrtle Beach's first golf course opening in 1927. The clubhouse, where the event took place, is part of the National Registry of Historic Places and is a perfect place for events. Chris Bohjalian was in town to talk about his latest book, The Jackal's Mistress.
While Bohjalian shared many moments in his life as a writer one of them stood out for me. He was in college and, having enjoyed writing since boyhood, submitted a short story to be considered for a writing seminar taught by a famous writer (he declined to name her). The writer called him in, handed him back his short story and told him, "Be a banker." This was somewhat disheartening as he was struggling with his Finance classes at the time! But he still persevered!
Bohjalian has written over 20 books, many of them historical fiction as he latest is. I was introduced to his writing with Skeletons At The Feast which was a World War II book about a German SS officer leading a group of Germans, who had taken over Polish farms, back to Germany and safety as the Russians started their invasion campaign. Parts of the book were sad but it had a very clever twist at the end. (Note to self - do not read two World War II books back to back.) Anyway I went on to read more than a few of his books and have listed them below.
The Jackal's Mistress - Chris's latest book takes place during the American Civil War in 1864. A wounded Union officer is left in an abandoned house in the Shenandoah Valley to die. A young woman whose husband has been taken captive by the Union Army decides she will not leave him to die and manages, with the help of others, to move him to her house where she operates her husband's grist mill supplying flour for the Confederate Army. If she is found harboring an enemy she and her family could be hanged, of course. The story plays out in an interesting way. I got the book on Friday, started it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. It is based on a true story and is definitely recommended reading if you enjoy historical fiction.
Hour of the Witch - This novel takes place in Boston, 1662 where a young Puritan woman is accused of being a witch. Mary Deerfield is married to a powerful and cruel man in the community. After constant physical and mental abuse, Mary is determined to divorce him. Yet as the hypocrisies of the community show, this will be no easy feat. When Mary is accused of witchcraft, it seems that divorce may not be necessary as she may be hanged as a witch. This book has a lot of clever "red herrings" or mis-directions in it.
The Guest Room - When Kristin Chapman agrees to let her husband host his brother's bachelor party at their house, she expects some rowdiness. What she didn't expect was that their house would become a crime scene as the "hired entertainment" women kill their handlers and flee into the night. Not only is the crime scene a problem as the police are certain someone inside did the job but also the young women who fled are being searched by the sex trafficking ring they seek to escape.
The Flight Attendant - If you saw this miniseries, believe me, the book is much better. A flight attendant, Cassandra Bowden, is no stranger to one night stands in beautiful cities around the world. A binge drinker she often wakes up in the wrong place. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to figure out the night before as she starts to get ready for her return flight. Looking at the still quiet man she spent the night she realizes that there is blood under him and that he is dead. That is when the lies begin.
Have you read any of Chris Bohjalian's books? If so, what do you recommend?
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