As historical fiction, Farley draws upon real events to fashion the core of his story: the trial of Bonny, Read, and Rackam in 1720 was indeed one of the most infamous events in the history of the West Indies, and the story was reported as far away as Boston and London. But Farley takes the raw material and fashions a story all his own. As he puts it, "I did try to remain faithful to the historical record I believed was true, but I also recognized that other parts of the record were probably flawed. So if an event could have happened and felt true, I followed it."
Farley’s greatest asset is in humanizing these characters which are largely historical ciphers—little is established for certain of the cultural backgrounds of Bonny and her shipmates, and as a result he draws upon impeccable research into the times to flesh out what they might have been like. And he also explores much of the iconography of pirate ships—the sense in which for all their purported barbarism and villainy, they were also an amazingly democratic society. Farley mentions how he was "fascinated" to learn "how easily lines of race, sex, and class blurred on pirate ships." As he puts it, "Paupers could become buccaneer kings," and there are many tales of equality among pirates that existed in few other places.
At the same time, the novel explores with a sort of savage realism the reality of slavery and piracy in the West Indies—offering, in a sense, echoes which resonate to the present day. While some might wonder whether Farley’s narrative smacks a bit of revisionist history at times, it is also a lyrical evocation of a bygone era and of a woman who challenged the conventions of her day.
Author's Note: This book review was originally published at Wallo World.
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1 - Pat Cummings
This book review has been selected for Advance.net. You’ll be able to find this and other Blog Critics reviews at such places as Cleveland.com’s Book Reviews column.