Ashley Ave., Charleston, S.C.I must be driving to work a little later this week because flipping the radio to NPR I landed in the middle of Radio Reader's morning story. It got my attention when I realized the book was about a murder in Charleston in 1910 and all the streets they mentioned were familiar.
The book they are featuring is Dead Weight, a new novel by Batt Humphreys.
Charleston, South Carolina in 1910 is the scene of a true story. There is a trial in the town, a triangle of animosities. A Jewish merchant murdered, a black man accused and a white populace primed for a hanging.
A reporter from New York arrives to cover the story. Hal Hinson follows the facts, but finds that Charleston is a much more complex and seductive city than he imagined.
He discovers a dangerous balance in the racial divide, a country of beauty and cruelty and a love story that echoes of Shakespeare in its ending.
Now I am going to have to drive to work late every day until I find out who done it. I love books and movies featuring familiar territory.
5 comments:
Interesting Joan. My family has been in Norfolk, Va for 170 years and one member -Michael Prince, city police officer- in 1910 or some year close to that shot and killed a close friend for "hanging out" with his wife, Capitolla. He was acquitted for the crime, believe it or not. It was a very complex story, which demonstrated how complex life was in the South at those times, and how it was often mis-portrayed by Northern media and Hollywood. Keep up the great photos and blog.
aaaggggghhhhhh! Another book to put on my "to-be-read" list
I've just downloaded it to my Kindle. Thanks for the heads-up. I can never pass up a book with a Charleston setting.
Wonder if that author was born on Halloween... or if he calls his wife "pumpkin". HA!
I've got a treasure hunt (with prize!) going on over at my place - come see!
- M
So exciting to see new Dead Weight fans springing up in the blogosphere! Please become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/deadweightnovel
Post a Comment