Story comes alive in picturesque Southern city of charm
‘Charleston’
Plot: “A simple gesture, a man’s hand on a woman’s shoulder. It could as easily not have happened.” From the opening line of the novel, Eliza ponders the role of fate in her life. A chance encounter with former boyfriend, Henry, leaves Eliza shaken and questioning her past choices. Upon her return to her native South Carolina for her sister’s debut, Eliza is pulled into the landscape of her youth. There was always something about Henry she could never resist, and memory converges with the present as she falls into her own unfinished love story. Struggling to find herself, Eliza is faced with a choice between the life she built and risking everything to find herself and the love she left behind.
Why you would recommend this book: In her debut novel, Margaret Bradham Thornton invites readers into an elegant world of southern manners, customs, grace and charm. ‘Charleston’ is a beautifully written and poignant novel about a young woman returning to her roots in search of love, self and closure. Set in Charleston, S.C., Bradham’s lyrical prose is charmingly immersive in the culture and history of the city, painting a lovely picture of a place abandoned by time where families can trace their lineage back for generations, of debutante balls, slow summer days, enduring love and heartbreaking loss.
I am a voracious reader, and because I read across many genres, it takes a lot to get my attention. When I stumbled upon ‘Charleston’ while browsing in a little bookstore in downtown Charleston, of all things, the cover caught my eye. The cover art was elegant and understated with the interesting title of simply the name of the city. Already charmed by the city itself, it seemed fated. Because I have been burned by cover art before, I expected one of two things: a dull novel with more setting than plot or an insipid love story without depth or character. I could not have been more wrong. From the first pages, I was entranced. Thornton’s prose is so beautifully constructed that, at times, it feels more like poetry than novel. Her descriptions of the South Carolina landscape, from windswept coasts and marshlands teeming with life to the subtle charm of small town southern drama, provide the perfect backdrop for a story about love and coming home.
The love story between Eliza and Henry encapsulates the magic of answering the eternal “What if?” Having left love behind, Eliza always felt connected to Henry and wondered how different her life might have been. This is wish fulfillment at its best as through haltingly sweet vignettes Eliza and Henry navigate through the past and rediscover each other and their love.
The real heart of the story, however, is Eliza’s own journey toward finding herself. As she grows in confidence and sense of self, she realizes that though she left searching, she had to come home to find herself. Although much of the narrative is spent navigating the seemingly small town of Charleston, Thornton paints beautiful pictures of the city and countryside that add to, rather than detract from, the pace and richness of the story. The town becomes a character as Eliza explores and narrates the little dramas that make up the fabric of the city. Minor characters and layered subplots provide an interesting and realistic contrast to the somewhat predictable love story. This, combined with the easy pace of the novel, immerses the reader in a world of simplicity and beauty.
That moment you were on the edge of your seat: The tension between Eliza and Henry is palpable from the first moment. Everything builds as Eliza struggles to decide between her commitment to the career and relationship she left in England and the home and man she’s always loved. When Eliza and Henry are confronted by his past, Eliza is forced to face her own fears about herself and their relationship. Both characters are deeply flawed, and Thornton does a nice job of creating realistic problems and reactions. She layers the idyllic with unsavory characters, past mistakes, and the underbelly of generations of small town life creating a story that is both lovely and believable.
Lasting impressions: Beautiful and heartbreaking, ‘Charleston’ left me feeling as though I’d captured a little piece of those iced tea, firefly summers of memory. A clever twist toward the end takes this novel from a charming, if predictable, love story to a heartwrenching and powerful tale of selfdiscovery and strength.
W h at a r e y o u r e a d i n g n e x t ?
“First Frost” by Sarah Addison Allen
