The Watery Part of the World

Summary (from the publisher): Michael Parker has created a wholly original world from two known facts: (1) Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of the controversial vice president Aaron Burr, disappeared in 1813 while en route by schooner from South Carolina to New York; and (2) in 1970, two elderly white women and one black man were the last townspeople to leave a small barrier island off the coast of North Carolina.
In this fiction based on historical fact, Parker weaves a tale of adventure and longing as he charts one hundred and fifty years in the life and death of an island and its inhabitants— the descendants of Theodosia Burr Alston and those of the freed man whose family would be forever tethered to hers.

It’s a tale of pirates and slaves, treason and treasures, madness and devotion, that takes place on a tiny island battered by storms, infested with mosquitoes, and cut off from the world—as difficult to get to as it is impossible to leave for those who call it home. From Theodosia’s capture at sea to the passionate lives of her great-great-great-granddaughters to the tender story of the black man who cares for them all his days, this is an inspired novel about love, trust, and the often tortuous bonds of family and community.

Review: I received a beautiful hardback copy of this book as a giveaway on goodreads. Parker, a professor at UNCG, tells the story of Theodosia Burr, daughter of Aaron Burr, who disappeared off the coast of North Carolina in 1813. Theodosia's ship wrecked off the coast of a remote island and she is forced to live off the land and start over. Theodosia's tale is alternated with the story of the last three residents of the remote island, 150 years later, who are descendants of Theodosia. This story was haunting. The characters mirrored the desolation of their environment and were so completely isolated, even when they stood beside others. It kind of reminded me of Lost (even aside from the island similarity) in that all the characters had tragic pasts and most would not receive a happy ending either.

Stars: 3