Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

Author : Hillary Jordan
Title : Mudbound
Published : 2008
Publisher : Windmill Books
Pages : 336

Genre : Historical Fiction 

     When Henry McAllan moves his city-bred wife, Laura, to a cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta in 1946, she finds herself in a place both foreign and frightening. Henry's love of rural life is not shared by Laura, who struggles to raise their two young children in an isolated shotgun shack under the eye of her hateful, racist father-in-law. When it rains, the waters rise up and swallow the bridge to town, stranding the family in a sea of mud. As the Second World War shudders to an end, two young men return from Europe to help work the farm. Jamie McAllan is everything his older brother Henry is not and is sensitive to Laura's plight, but also haunted by his memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest son of the black sharecroppers who live on the farm, comes home from war with the shine of a hero, only to face far more dangerous battles against the ingrained bigotry of his own countrymen. These two unlikely friends become players in a tragedy on the grandest scale.

     The deep south of America holds a special place in my heart. I have not spent a great deal of time there but each time has proven to be an enlightening experience. With that being said I am not blind to the trouble that has been a part of its history since it first became a place. Its land is scared with its history and cannot  and should never be forgotten. It was here that I came to be reading Mudbound, a friend passed in before my eyes and suggested that I should maybe give some of my time to reading it. It was only late that I came to learn that it had been turned into a film, but as with most things, the book is usually better than the film.

      This is a tale of a friendship that at the time would be unlikely and for most, they considered should never have been. While I realise this is a work of fiction the unlikely is always bound to crop up and surprise us. Such friendships did exist if  all be it a rare occurrence. For these to it comes from a common shared experience. Having gone through something so horrific it bound them together much like the mud that cotes this farm. For both these men, there are trying to do the best by there families. While their lives may not hold much in store for them the still strive to do the best they can and give their families a better life. But as we are soon to discover those that surround them have a lot to say on the subject. These two friends may have been doomed from the start. It makes for some interesting reading as we are pulled into the harsh and troubled world. In part, it is difficult for me to comprehend coming from a more modern perspective. Who we choose to allow into our lives should for my part only concern those people. Be it for love or friendship it should be of no concern to others when it is based on race or religion. But I guess people believe what they do and take umbrage with the choices of others. 

     This book is so beautifully written, the author takes time in the way she delivers her story. Captivating the reader as she turns her prose with and style that can not help to bewitch her reader. As one can imagine this is a story that deals with some very difficult topics, for some these are still subject they would rather not talk about. If recent event has shown us anything some of the feelings portrayed by the charters still run very close to the surface. For me personally, I still find it hard that some take to judging others not on there actions or deeds but by something more primitive. Just because something is different from our selves doesn't me that it is bad and a little compassion and understanding can go a long way. With all these things for me, the author tackled they not only some sensitivity but also with realism. It would be far to easy to go to ether end of the spectrum with this.  Deal with it to lightly and I feel you are trying to wash away hundreds of years of oppression. Go the other way and it becomes about shock value. And for me, it makes for very uncomfortable reading. At its core, this is a story about two things, race, and friendship. Both topics I felt the author manages to explore with an intelligence and nuanced manner. 

     This is a book that not only delivers a captivating story but gave me two family's I came to care for deeply. The harsh realities of life can sometimes come pouring down on us and this is a book that at times is hard to read. The subject matter is a difficult one, but one I personally feel is worth devoting time to. Mudbound is a book that we can learn from all the while taking us on an emotional roller coaster that is worth the price on admission.