Books & Java

The Kings and Queens of Roam

by Daniel Wallace

Synopsis:

From the celebrated author of Big Fish, an imaginative, moving novel about two sisters and the dark legacy and magical town that entwine them.

Helen and Rachel McCallister, who live in a town called Roam, are as different as sisters can be: Helen older, bitter, and conniving; Rachel beautiful, naïve – and blind. When their parents die an untimely death, Rachel has to rely on Helen for everything, but Helen embraces her role in all the wrong ways, convincing Rachel that the world is a dark and dangerous place she couldn't possibly survive on her own … or so Helen believes, until Rachel makes a surprising choice that turns both their worlds upside down.

In this new novel, Southern literary master Daniel Wallace returns to the tradition of tall-tales and folklore made memorable in his bestselling Big Fish. The Kings and Queens of Roam is a wildly inventive, beautifully written, and big-hearted tale of family and the ties that bind.

My Review:

This book was so incredible. If this is any indication of Daniel Wallace's brilliant story-telling, I will definitely be reading more. This book was a fairytale, a fable, and used a lot of the story-telling beauty in mythology. The story is about 2 sisters - Rachel, who is blind and beautiful and Helen, the ugly, sighted yet envious older sister burdened with having to take care of her younger sister. Don't assume that this is the likely tale of the meek, poor little blind girl who wins her freedom from the abuse of an older meaner sister (like Cinderella and her ugly step sisters). That would be too "Disneyesque". This story is far more complicated it goes back in time to give the reader a complete background on how the girls and their home in Roam came to be. The author focuses on pointing out that good and bad are relative and everything (regardless of good or bad) happens for a reason. It's a ying and yang. In other words, for there to be good, bad must exist as well. And, that "bad" does not always define that person entirely as an individual. People all have the potential for doing "bad" things and we all have at one time or another. However, we all have opportunities for redemption which is the central theme of the book. This book was definitely an experience. It is unlike any book I have read before.