CALEB'S CROSSING by Geraldine Brooks

Geraldine Brooks is a prolific writer of historical fiction.  She won the Pulitzer Prize for "March," the story of the father in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women."  I have read a number of her books and find that they are all historically accurate and well-researched.  To this she adds an interesting story making them irresistible reading.  Her most recent book is "The Secret Chord," a story about King David which has received mixed reviews.

"Caleb's Crossing" is set in the 1660s on the island of Martha's Vineyard (where the author has her home) and in the Massachusetts Bay Colony on the mainland. As is her wont, the author has chosen to write a story based on real characters who existed in the Puritan era of the English settlement of the American colonies.

We meet Bethia Mayfield through her diaries; she is now an old woman, near death, who has a story to tell us.  Bethia was a young Puritan maid whose father left the Mass Bay Colony of John Winthrop to found a settlement on Martha's Vineyard.  There he set out to convert the local tribe of Wampanoag Indians to Christianity.  Bethia's mother dies, as many women did at that time, in childbirth.  Not only was childbirth precarious, but life for everyone was hard, short, and dangerous.  Children succumbed to disease, the cold, and starvation.  Bethia was eventually left with only her father and one brother, Makepeace, who was a dour sort of fellow, finding little joy in life.  In contrast Bethia is full of life and curiosity, and it is this curiosity which leads her to befriend a young Indian boy.  She struggles with the guilt of being fascinated by the culture and ceremonies of the natives which her strict Calvinistic upbringing has taught her is sinful.  Bethia and the Indian boy who later takes the Christian name, Caleb, form a strong and everlasting bond.  Both characters suffer internal conflicts trying to bridge the gap between their two strong cultural backgrounds.

Bethia being a strong and healthy young woman is destined for marriage while her brother, not nearly as bright as Bethia, is assured a place at Harvard with a future in the ministry.  While stiff as a board, Makepeace is not an unsympathetic character.  He too struggles against his destiny. Caleb (based on a real historical person, the first Native American to matriculate from Harvard) having been converted by the Reverend Mayfield, excels in his studies and joins Mayfield at the College.  The story progresses in Cambridge and we see the boys and learn of their studies through the eyes of Bethia who becomes a servant in their boarding house after the death of her father.

Throughout the book, Brooks uses authentic settings and language.  She does an admirable job of making her characters real people who suffered and lived out their destinies, even as they fought against the paths laid out for them.  The story is full of quiet suspense and sadness like that which Caleb sees for the future of his people.

I highly recommend this book to all readers as a realistic portrayal of the hardships of life in colonial New England, yet also a story of bravery and strength of character in the face of ignorance and harsh living conditions.