At the Fall Line
Huets writes a compelling novel set in 1869 Virginia. Its protagonist is Major Louis Bondurant, a wounded Union Army veteran who has returned to the home and the people he loves. Louis works as a quarry foreman, but he is determined to recover the fortunes of his family in the economically devastated South. He is a complicated man who lives a complicated life; readers will be engrossed in his story. The plot is a rich confection of every experience and emotion of humankind: love, hate, jealousy, humility, kindness, treachery, lust, sorrow, joy, depression, regret. The characters who embody these experiences and emotions are complicated; they include his friend Rob, a bookstore owner and reliable source of sound advice; Branden, a sympathetic, consumptive friend from childhood; the alluring Mrs. Valentina Termey, a painter who haunts his life; his cousin Richard Poindexter, a man dedicated to his downfall; Moses Kohen, his sympathetic lawyer; even his unusual dog Lizzie and horse Nella. The action is fast-paced and engrossing.
A fall line is a geographical area where coastal land and piedmont area meet, a point of contrasts. This novel metaphorically embodies this difficult dichotomy in its theme and its characters, its physical and psychological descriptions. Once started, this is a book that readers will not want to put down, but they will also want to read it a second time.
