Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
Reviews
It’s 1809 and John Delacroix has returned severely wounded in the Peninsular campaign. As his body slowly heals it becomes clear that his mind and heart are still haunted by the war and his role in it and when he receives a summons to return to his commission he takes flight to the Hebrides, whose culture and songs had enchanted his father. On his trail is the deliciously despicable Calley and Medina, a thoughtful Spanish officer, sent to hunt the man accused of a war crime. The contrast between Delacroix’s growing peace as he finds a place with the eccentric Fender family on a remote island and the relentless, ruthless hunt of Calley is masterfully played, juxtaposing Miller’s most graceful, limpid prose with the coarse language of his antagonist. The tension grows, both from the chase and from Delacroix’s developing relationship with Emily Fender, whose sight is failing. It’s not often that a writer can accomplish character and plot so well, without privileging either, but Miller manages it. My heart was racing as the two journeys converged and the final few pages of stunning description and singing tension were breath-taking And behind it all is the spectre of war, of atrocity and of accountability. Miller considers the price of violence for both victims and perpetrators and what it truly means to be free; from pain, from responsibility, from our mistakes and personal histories. I honestly though that this beautiful, thrilling novel would have been a contender for the Man Booker Prize this year. It shows Miller’s remarkable range from lyrical landscapes, to rude humour, to delicate character relationships. His characters are removed from us in time only, though the shape of society is different they share our thoughts and fears so closely that it diminishes the distance between us to nothing.
Historical fiction, chase thriller/romance, impressively realised with authentic detail, vivid and exciting. Believable characters not what they at first seem. Some nice understated themes and motifs. Interesting to me quotidian detail of meals and diet.
