Book Review: Diary of a Stone Migrant 6/27/3132
Storytellers Press
338 pages / C21.95
At first glance there is little to distinguish Shanda McMurry's Diary of a Stone Migrant
from the plethora of other works on the Stone Reformation that have appeared in
recent years. Unlike other works, however, McMurray's substantial volume tells the
story in the words of the migrants themselves, woven together with McMurry's
background material, giving the readers a keen insight into contemporary thoughts and
attitudes rather than a post-facto analysis of events from a thirty-second-century
perspective. The book follows the Shah family, former residents of Regulus who fled
to Irian as the Free Worlds League fragmented after the Blakist revelations. The diarist
is Jacob Shah, the family's eldest child, who was fourteen when the diary begins and
twenty-two at its end. His early chapters, while less polished than those that follow,
capture the feelings of fear and desperation that accompanied the family's flight to
Irian.
Where the book comes into its own is with the details of how the Stone Reformation
affected individuals. Jacob's youth made it difficult for him to understand the social
and political rationale for the relocation of populations within the new Republic,
namely the desire to break down the cultural and social barriers that fueled many past
conflicts. To him it was another forced relocation, though his hopes for the future are
clear to see. "I can remember little but war. If this Reformation gives us the chance to
end it for all time then it must be a good thing."
Sometimes funny—Shah's recollections of his arrival on Lyons are priceless—and
often moving, his words bring his family into startling relief—the pragmatic father,
Sanjay, his stoic mother Lucy, his demanding brother Suleiman and tragic sister
Maggie— each emerging as living, breathing characters.
The book's strength is also its greatest weakness: its exclusive focus on the Shahs.
We see the trials and tribulations of this family in stark detail, and McMurry provides
context material for their journey, but it is just one family's story among that of
millions. The broader scope of the Reformation is lost in the minutiae of family life
and it would have benefited from a broader view of events, either in McMurray's
scene-setting material or by combining Jacob Shah's narrative with that of other
migrants. Despite this weakness, the volume is a worthwhile addition to the libraries
of those interested in the Reformation.
Storytellers Press
338 pages / C21.95
At first glance there is little to distinguish Shanda McMurry's Diary of a Stone Migrant
from the plethora of other works on the Stone Reformation that have appeared in
recent years. Unlike other works, however, McMurray's substantial volume tells the
story in the words of the migrants themselves, woven together with McMurry's
background material, giving the readers a keen insight into contemporary thoughts and
attitudes rather than a post-facto analysis of events from a thirty-second-century
perspective. The book follows the Shah family, former residents of Regulus who fled
to Irian as the Free Worlds League fragmented after the Blakist revelations. The diarist
is Jacob Shah, the family's eldest child, who was fourteen when the diary begins and
twenty-two at its end. His early chapters, while less polished than those that follow,
capture the feelings of fear and desperation that accompanied the family's flight to
Irian.
Where the book comes into its own is with the details of how the Stone Reformation
affected individuals. Jacob's youth made it difficult for him to understand the social
and political rationale for the relocation of populations within the new Republic,
namely the desire to break down the cultural and social barriers that fueled many past
conflicts. To him it was another forced relocation, though his hopes for the future are
clear to see. "I can remember little but war. If this Reformation gives us the chance to
end it for all time then it must be a good thing."
Sometimes funny—Shah's recollections of his arrival on Lyons are priceless—and
often moving, his words bring his family into startling relief—the pragmatic father,
Sanjay, his stoic mother Lucy, his demanding brother Suleiman and tragic sister
Maggie— each emerging as living, breathing characters.
The book's strength is also its greatest weakness: its exclusive focus on the Shahs.
We see the trials and tribulations of this family in stark detail, and McMurry provides
context material for their journey, but it is just one family's story among that of
millions. The broader scope of the Reformation is lost in the minutiae of family life
and it would have benefited from a broader view of events, either in McMurray's
scene-setting material or by combining Jacob Shah's narrative with that of other
migrants. Despite this weakness, the volume is a worthwhile addition to the libraries
of those interested in the Reformation.
| June 6, 3132 |