Review by Win Wiacek
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a charismatic leader drags an entire nation into a phony war, manipulating facts, twisting good people’s lives, destroying their innocence and fomenting an atmosphere of sustained paranoia and unthinking patriotism – if not jingoistic madness. Then he shuffles out of the picture and lets his successors deal with the mess he’s created, those remnants divided equally into well-meaning but clueless ditherers and now-fanatical disciples who think only they can run the show.
The land is in turmoil. Pa is raising a ruckus trying to get his monstrous ark built before the ruthless invaders begin the final attack. Eldest girl Peggy and little Minerva follow as he carves a wake of destructive energy through the landscape. Pa has galvanised the local villagers and they await his command to enter the fortress-city within the monolithic edifice, dubbed “Blessedbowl”.
When Pa begins once more to assault his oldest lass, only hapless Minerva and the trees are witness to the unleashed savagery. Suddenly, a young man rushes to Peg’s rescue, captivating forever the cowering Min. His name is Lester, but despite a terrific struggle the rescuer is no match for Pa’s maniacal vigour. The young man is left brain-damaged and maimed.
Pa bids Min see to Lester. The Doomsayer is lost in his preparations again. The Crisis has arrived!
Three decades pass. Min has married Lester and a thriving community exists within Blessedbowl, a permanent subsistence/siege economy built on paranoia: isolated and united by a common foe that has never been seen and is therefore utterly terrifying. Moses-like, Pa remained behind when the ark was sealed, to fight a rearguard action. Min is now his regent, efficiently running the closed ecology and economy, bolstered by the devoted attention of Lester, the amnesiac war-hero who lost so much when the invisible enemy launched their final assault.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg in Cathy Malkasian’s vast story created during America’s longest-running war. It’s a multilayered, incisive parable examining how families and countries can be twisted by love, fear and the lies of their leaders, yet still seemingly prosper. As much mystical generational fantasy as veiled allegory, this enchanting story will open your eyes on so many levels. As events spiral beyond all control the astounding outcome, whilst utterly inevitable will also be a complete surprise, and just wait until you discover the identity of the eponymous narrator “Temperance”.
Mythical, mystical, metaphorical, lyrical, even poetic, this literal epic blends Shakespearean passions with soft Orwellian terrors. King Lear and 1984 are grandparents to a subtly striking tale of freedoms and honour – personal and communal – surrendered to a comfortable, expedient slavery. Combining trenchant social commentary with spiritually uplifting observation, illustrated in the softest pencil tones, this is a joy to read, a delight to view and a privilege to own.
