The back page of the review copy of Anna Hope’s latest novel, The White Rock, has the message: ‘I see you. Inside the cage you have been given. The cage you have made. The cages we have all made’.
As far as blurbs go, it’s pretty apt, as each of the narratives in this book show people who are trapped in one way or another, whether by circumstance, or due to the ramifications of either their own or other’s actions.
Taking place in a number of different time periods, the different story strands depict a family making a fateful journey; a fugitive singer choosing a different path; two sisters taken from their home, and a young sailor forced to make a fateful decision.
All the narratives converge around the titular rock, affecting the story’s characters in a myriad of ways. I won’t spoil what happens here, but the different outcomes are certainly events that will linger.
The story’s multi-narrative structure inevitably recalls David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, and while there are worse books to be compared to, it would be unfair to judge it on these terms alone.
The only real regret in reading this is the relatively swift nature of the experience – ultimately, each narrative is the recipient of just two chapters. Maybe this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but to us, it felt like certain characters had more to offer beyond their brief time on the page.
Perhaps this is a compliment to the author: even from their limited lifespans, you experience their hopes, regrets, and fears in uncompromisingly vivid detail. Their decisions have consequences, and we’re forced to live with the characters as they themselves live with them.
It’s not even a case of trying to make characters sympathetic despite their flaws; the reader is given the chance to judge the characters by themselves, away from the cloying oversight that some authors might choose to include.
To summarise, The White Rock succeeds on a number of levels, proving to be an energising, evocative, and ultimately enriching experience. I’ll definitely be searching out Anna Hope’s previous books, having read this.
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