There's a Place for Us
The pitch is fairly simple: a Romeo and Juliet romance set in Waco, Texas, during a scenario much like the Branch Davidians siege. Author Bret Anthony Johnston was in Waco on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy and met with a number of the survivors and people involved-- here the story began germinating in his imagination.
Jaye, the Juliet, is a teenaged girl who has reluctantly moved with her mother to the compound run by a religious zealot, Perry Cullen or "the Lamb"-- a character similar to the real-life David Koresh. The members are permitted to go into town and Jaye meets the Sheriff's son, fourteen-year-old Roy (our Romeo). Roy falls heavily for Jaye but has no idea she lives in the compound that his father and other law enforcement officials are investigating.
So, the real-life events of 1993 provide the skeleton for much of the setting. As such, we know how things ended, and we know there was a lot of controversy about the way the government handled the situation. In between Jaye and Roy's chapters there are episodes of a podcast, "On the Lamb," a modern-day investigation to find out what really happened. These are short and refreshing breaks as the pace seems to sputter at times. The kids are creations and not historical figures, so a driving motivation to keep reading is to discover their fates.
The sense of place is intense-- this is Texas and cannot be confused with anywhere else. The people here are all understandable, if not sympathetic. The Lamb is extreme, of course, but the followers are multidimensional and not painted as mere zombies or robots. If anything, it is the federal government officials who are portrayed as a bit shady.
Overall, this is an interesting depiction of the Waco setting and the people there. For anyone who cares, the Romeo and Juliet theme was all right, with "Easter Eggs" scattered throughout. Knowing the probable outcome only made it drag out to a longer journey than necessary.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The pitch is fairly simple: a Romeo and Juliet romance set in Waco, Texas, during a scenario much like the Branch Davidians siege. Author Bret Anthony Johnston was in Waco on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy and met with a number of the survivors and people involved-- here the story began germinating in his imagination.
Jaye, the Juliet, is a teenaged girl who has reluctantly moved with her mother to the compound run by a religious zealot, Perry Cullen or "the Lamb"-- a character similar to the real-life David Koresh. The members are permitted to go into town and Jaye meets the Sheriff's son, fourteen-year-old Roy (our Romeo). Roy falls heavily for Jaye but has no idea she lives in the compound that his father and other law enforcement officials are investigating.
So, the real-life events of 1993 provide the skeleton for much of the setting. As such, we know how things ended, and we know there was a lot of controversy about the way the government handled the situation. In between Jaye and Roy's chapters there are episodes of a podcast, "On the Lamb," a modern-day investigation to find out what really happened. These are short and refreshing breaks as the pace seems to sputter at times. The kids are creations and not historical figures, so a driving motivation to keep reading is to discover their fates.
The sense of place is intense-- this is Texas and cannot be confused with anywhere else. The people here are all understandable, if not sympathetic. The Lamb is extreme, of course, but the followers are multidimensional and not painted as mere zombies or robots. If anything, it is the federal government officials who are portrayed as a bit shady.
Overall, this is an interesting depiction of the Waco setting and the people there. For anyone who cares, the Romeo and Juliet theme was all right, with "Easter Eggs" scattered throughout. Knowing the probable outcome only made it drag out to a longer journey than necessary.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
