The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld
| The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: John Lloyd
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| Summary: The Green Mile for 2014, as one Death Row inmate observes another's past being investigated for the chance of reprieve. You might feel like you need a reprieve from the gloom at times, but this book knows just what it's doing. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 288 | Date: March 2014 |
| Publisher: W&N | |
| ISBN: 9780297870494 | |
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Death Row, in a prison somewhere in the rural US. It's an old prison too, where the modern sensors and security will never be seen, and where those waiting years for their final, final appeals – or for the closing act in their life – remain underground, in dank cells that have no mod-cons, and can easily flood when the rains raise the water table too high. It's where a man called York is seeing out his days, and whereas a female investigator is trying her hardest to get evidence that might see his sentence quashed or changed, he is saying it should be carried out forthwith. While she tries to piece together what got him there and what made him take that terminal decision, shadows of her own dark background are forced to move into sight. All this is told us by the omniscient narration of another man on Death Row, thanks to two heinous crimes…
There's clearly a way for books about Death Row to go, that would make them unreadably bad, and that is preachy. This is not. While the author has worked in the same job as her unnamed heroine, she does not bring any side-taking to the topic, no forceful presentation of any issues in her story. And anyway, the story so often leaves the environs of Death Row itself, to cover the entire jail – new, young inmates, the warden and his own problems, the fallen priest tasked with spiritual care for the lifers. Equally, the investigation into York's back story takes the lady out into the boondocks.
This only makes me talk of what might seem another sticking point, however, and that is the tone of the book. It can be exceedingly bleak. While it might dress prison life as a nightmare, it never shirks from any character's sadness or criminality. We get vestiges of what the main offenders have done to deserve their place in the jail, and I mean 'deserve', but everyone at times can seem to be in their own internal prison – and despite a few minor characters providing some kind of hope and humanity, and one relationship charmingly forming, the book can be relentless in its darkness at times.
What leavens that, on the whole, though, is the narration. It feels a peculiar choice, not to name many of the lead characters, when the narrator knows so much. Our approach through the story is through a brilliantly characterful first person, present tense narration, and it's not just the fact that this Death Row inmate can quite clearly escape to present godlike knowledge of the entire world connected to York's case that makes the book brighter than it might seem. There's something uncanny about the ability of this writing, which is both bluntly matter-of-fact and poetic, both basely emotive yet highly sensory and descriptive, both slightly naïve in its evocation of subterranean horses and monsters, and unnamed people, yet so compelling it could well lead you to accept being with the enchanted in an enchanted place.
It's not exactly unique, the savant waiting to become a 'dead man walking', but this character is not far off. It might feel at times that there is just too much pessimism on these pages for their own good, but they rattle by, and the unequivocal feel of the narrative voice and the definitive sense of accuracy it gives to the piece mean this reads very well indeed. It misses something to make it a superlative read, partly as something was clued too heavily, but it shows intelligence, incredible craft for a debutante novelist, and in the end just enough compassion and humanity to make the entire piece very warmly received.
I must thank the publishers for my review copy.
For a more routinely uplifting read, we loved The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld at Amazon.com.
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