Cruelest of all, it seems, is Charles, whose attentions—“a few rough jabs later and he was finished”—eventually prove worse than his indifference. Giordano spins the tale with rich detail and much yearning, charting Eliza’s introduction into island society, her disastrous attempts to treat the enslaved with kindness, and the thrill and freedom she finds swimming in the ocean. Charles quickly forbids that last pleasure, and as discord grows (“This is not matrimony! This is Abaddon!”), Eliza attracts the notice of a pair of men of questionable loyalties: Captain Hiram Bruin, a rogue turned gentleman trader, and Jean Charles de Longchamp, reputed to be disloyal to the crown.
Giordano writes strong scenes, full of feeling and mysteries, though readers expecting any resolution of key storylines will have to wait for the second book. Despite its hefty length, this volume ends abruptly. The pacing is often slow, and some scenes of Eliza’s misery meander, but readers looking for an old-fashioned gothic with contemporary insight into colonial injustices will find much to savor.
Takeaway: Epic-length tropical gothic of an Englishwoman facing the horror of colonial life.
Comparable Titles: Karen Barrow’s Palmyra, Isabel Cañas’s The Hacienda.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
