| Book Review | Mudbound.
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"Beginnings are elusive things. Just when you think you have hold of one, you look back and see another, earlier beginning, and an earlier one before that." - Hillary Jordan.
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Books like these set my blood boiling. Even the fact that it's part fictional doesn't help much in easing my pain. Mudbound is a book on racism. It is set at a time when the colour of a man decided his worthiness. Decades earlier, racism took lives of thousands and if it didn't, it did manage to reduce them to a mere speck of existence. Their lives were shackled in chains of slavery where their own kids continued slaving for the white masters. It's disgusting to read about atrocities that makes my skin crawl. I remember being immensely furious while watching Twelve years a slave and that anger never fades away. Mudbound is another such story of racism where the only thing that matters is how white one's skin is.
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Set right at the end of The Second World War, this story revolves around owners of a land and it's sharecroppers. When Laura turned thirty, she was convinced that she will now never get married but meeting Henry changes the course of her life. Within few months of courtship, they get married and live for couple of months in Memphis. Due to unforeseen events, the family is made to move to rural Mississippi where Henry's dream of buying a land finally comes true. The minute Laura sets her eyes on the farm, she begins despising her husband. There's a constant feel of mud under her feet and dirt in her nails which is why she names the farm Mudbound. Henry's brother Jamie having served in the war comes to live with the family soon after and it his arrival that makes things take a very ugly turn.
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Working on their farm is a coloured family whose son served in the army. The mother, Florence is a fierce character who keeps the house running during dire times and when her son Ronsel comes back from his posting, she feels light with relief. Racism still powerfully existed back in those days and when Ronsel and Jamie struck up friendship, there were grunts of disapproval all around. It's important to notice the shift in Ronsel's fate the very moment he meets Jamie but the men are oblivious to it. Pappy, Laura's father-in-law is a vile man whose hatred towards the coloured folk made me sick to the stomach. There are a lot of unhappy people in this novel, partly because of failed relationships but also due to societal norms. Laura's relationship with Henry balances on a sensitive scale, her attraction towards Jamie and her hatred for Pappy feels achingly real. But it is Florence and her husband Hap, who have my heart. Any topic or story that revolves around and post war is always crucial with a considerable amount of truth imbibed in it. The characters in this story has been written extraordinarily, often making me feel bad and grieve for couple of them. It's hard for me to choose one as my favourite but I find myself involuntarily choosing Florence. You will know why once you read the novel.
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There was only one scenario which I didn't quite enjoy, the one where Laura and Jamie involve in throbes of passion. I do understand how Laura felt amidst Henry's absent-mindedness but it's hard for me to fathom the entire situation actually happening. Hillary's power over words is not in the least bit questionable and considering how this is her debut work, I'm quite impressed with her writing flair. An important and must read. Considering how it addresses many significant points, I absolutely recommend it to everyone.
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Rating - 4.7/5