I read Jack Hussey’s The Ghosts of Walden: Three Concord Stories for the Historical Novel Society Review; as my review will be part of the next newsletter, I decided to post a reaction here instead.
Set in 19th century Concord, Hussey re-imagines life around Walden as poets, philosophers, abolitionists, and suffragettes fight battles both personal and social. Hussey adapts the rich literary history of Concord to portray the troubles and triumphs of characters such as Henry David Thoreau, R.W. Emerson, Ellery Channing, and even Louisa May Alcott.
Ghosts is divided into three stories: “The Wilderness of the World,” “In My Hour of Darkness,” and “A Waltz at Walden Pond”.
I found myself referring to Wikipedia as I read, interested in learning more about the individuals portrayed and the parts they played in the history of American literature and philosophy. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, individual tales coming together and resulting in an overarching narrative that connects the three main stories. I found some of the mini-stories in “The Wilderness of the World” a bit awkward at times and was somewhat confused by Ellery Channing’s conversations with himself (semi-schizophrenic dialogues in which he referred to himself as Mr. E and Mr. C), but I really enjoyed “A Waltz at Walden Pond”. While “Wilderness” is set during the time of Thoreau, Emerson, and Channing, “Waltz” takes place after the passing of the Greats and presents the legacy of the idyllic, Transcendental Concord. I was very much intrigued by Sarah Sanborn’s struggle to leave Concord and make a new life for herself as a single woman, and was pleased with the direction that her story took.
While I don’t think readers need to be thoroughly familiar with the history, some knowledge of the lives of the historical characters portrayed will make the story easier to follow.
Tags: 19th century historical fiction, book review, jack hussey, the ghosts of walden
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