Pauline Gedge's The Twice Born returns the reader to ancient Egypt
Written: May 13 '08 (Updated May 13 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Vivid, descriptive writing, with a hero that evokes sympathy for his plight.
Cons: Well, I want to know what happens next!
The Bottom Line: A great summer read set in ancient Egypt with plenty of drama and a touch of the occult.
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| telynor's Full Review: Pauline Gedge - The Twice Born |
One author that I continually look out for is Pauline Gedge. A long time writer who sets her works in the time of the Pharoahs, I've been stuck on her work since her first novel, Child of the Morning. While they may not always be historically accurate in all of the tiny details, what Gedge manages to do is create a superb sense of time and place, along with vivid characters drawn from the tales and history of Egypt.
And this time, with The Twice Born, Gedge takes on one of the most mysterious and compelling people who really did live in Egypt.
When the story opens, Huy, son of Hapu, is just four years old, and it is his Naming Day. Son of a farmer, he doesn't quite understand why he has to give up a favourite toy to the shrine of the local god, but he must. He's more familiar with the lazy days spent watching the creatures in the garden or playing with his best friend, Ishat, the daughter of a servant. Worst still, his uncle is planning on sending him far away to a temple school where Huy will learn to become a scribe, where he will have a much better chance at a prosperous future. Huy doesn't want to go.
But the temple at Iunu becomes a much more enticing place than Huy thinks. He makes a friend with another boy, Thothmes, the son of the local governor, and he falls happily into the world of literacy. But he also makes enemies, including a swaggering braggart who looks down on Huy and his peasant origins. After eight years in the temple school, Huy is struck down in a boyish prank gone wrong, and he wakes in a strange place.
That strange place is the House of the Dead, where he has lain for five days, preparing for his body to be beautified and buried. Huy's reawakening to the land of the living portends something even more terrifying, visions that can change the future, and even worse, predict the deaths of those that he loves...
I have to say, despite a slow start, this was a novel that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. Gedge's hold on the daily lives of the Egyptians, and this time, of the lives of ordinary people, is still as sure as ever, and I could easily imagine myself in their halls and temples. What truly works are the characterizations, from Huy to his friends, Thothmes and Ishat, and the various priests, Methen, Ramose, and the others. Unlike her other novels, this time the glimpses of royalty are very few, and when the current Pharaoh makes a very brief appearance, the reactions are very believable. So too are the other problems that Huy faces, such as when he becomes a sort of 'adopted son' to Thothmes' family, and he falls under the spell of a younger daughter, Anuket, and his helpless passion for her, but also knowing that he can never marry her because of his lowly birth.
Most of all, I could sympathize with Huy's knowledge of being a perpetual outsider because of the accident that marks him for life, and that he could never be a part of normal Egyptian society again. It's a very effective plot device, and Gedge may spend a bit too much time with Huy having his own little pity-party for himself, but in turn she balances that with Ishat and Thothmes, two vibrant characters that are able to reach through Huy's isolation.
The most unusual aspect here however, is Gedge's use of mythology and the religious writings. The gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt are very real in this story, with the actual power to influence the lives of mortals, and Huy must make some very interesting choices with his life. All of the scenes are very vivid and fit nicely into Egyptian cosmology. One thing that I really liked was that it was always free choice that determines the choices of everyone in the story -- they always had the right to do as they saw fit, and let the consequences fall where they may. This is unusual where most stories that use non-Western, Christian visions of gods, where an 'it is fated' prevails. All in all, it works, and gives the story some real impact.
Gedge provides a brief author's note at the start, discussing the Book of Thoth, that plays such a vital part in the story, and her own thoughts. As to the rest of her research, it is very solid, and the conficts and choices that Huy faces are very believable and very well written.
For those who like their historical dramas to be well written and full of both action and internal visions, this is very enjoyable. Fans of Pauline Gedge's previous novels will not be disappointed. While there isn't a mention of a follow-up novel, I suspect that there will be a sequel as the ending is a bit of a cliff-hanger.
The edition that I purchased is a Canadian one, in trade paperback, and it does require a bit of a search to find a copy. However, the hunt is worth it. I do not know when an US edition will be published, but I will post an update when it is available.
Four stars overall.
Many thanks to the Books CL Panguitch for adding this book so quickly to the database for me. You guys are the best!
The Twice-Born
Pauline Gedge
2007; Penguin Canada
ISBN 0-14-305291-8
Recommended:
Yes
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telynor
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