Book Review: A Parchment of Leaves

 

• Author: Silas House

• Where I bought this book: The 2021 Kentucky Book Fair, Lexington

• Why I bought this book: House is the new Wendell Berry

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    This novel is a stunning work of art -- the story, the characters, and the connection of place to person is a phenomenal achievement.

    House, an Eastern Kentucky native, knows the language of Appalachia and how to use it subtly, nobly, and to its best effect. He knows -- indeed, he is -- the characters, and you can feel their pain and their joys through his writing. 

    And he understands that connections that tie the characters to the story through the expressive use of  language.

    House can teach everyone a thing or two about Eastern Kentucky -- about its stalwart people, its sometimes sad but always provocative history, and its rich culture. 

     In Parchment, House tells a feminist story in the voices and actions of its women. The main character and voice is Vine, whom we meet as a young Cherokee tending to her garden along Redbud Camp, a small community in a hollow of the Eastern Kentucky mountains. Other strong women whose voice we hear are Esme, Vine's mother-in-law and the matriarch of the Sullivan family, and Serena, a midwife and iconoclast who forges her own trails in the sometime judgmental Appalachian communities where they live.

    They find strength in each other, in the strong family ties, and in the isolation in Appalachia. Individuality is necessary to survive, although it is often frowned upon.

    The Native Americans, such as Vine and her immeniate family, survived the slaughter and forced removal duirng the Trail of Tears by hiding out in Eastern Kentucky, where they were later joined by the Scots-Irish settlers. By the time of this novel, set in the early 20th Century, the groups formed an uneasy alliance.

     Esme's son, Saul, woes and weds Vine, bringing her back to the Sullivan homestead in a neighboring hollow, God's Creek. She must deal with his brother Aaron, who has his own desires for Vine, and on Esme's sometimes suspicious nature toward her. She also seeks to find her place in the new community, while keeping her inate goodness for all.

    It's a tall order, but House is an extraordinary writer who reaches high and achieves the stars.