Caleb's Crossing
By Geraldine Brooks (300 pages)
Published by Viking
Bookish rating: 4.5
I'm a major Geraldine Brooks fan, and despite my high expectations for Caleb's Crossing, Brooks did not disappoint. So, yay. That would've broken my heart.
Set in the 1600s in what is now Martha's Vineyard, Brooks writes from a young girl's point of view to describe the "crossing" of Caleb, a Native American, to Harvard. How does he hang onto his culture and selfhood? How does he reconcile Latin and Christianity (oh, those misisonaries) with his own beliefs? Well, we never know for sure, as we only get to be inside Bethia's head, but Bethia is a fascinating character. Fake (as in imaginary), but fascinating.
Caleb is as well-drawn as he can be from a distance. He actually existed, so there is some truth to Brooks's story. The fledgling Harvard University and all the historical details surrounding its early, early years were extremely interesting and gave an entirely new way of understanding that school and oh so young Cambridge.
Per usual, Brooks gives us an absorbing, smart, historical read. I liked March better, but hell. That won the Pulitzer.
