Under a Dark Summer Sky

In the summer of 1935, residents in Heron Key, Florida, are just trying to get by. Years now into the Great Depression, and entrenched within the rules and rituals of the Jim Crow South, black and white residents alike find themselves on edge as the sweltering heat and oppressive humidity bear down on them, a hurricane blowing hard at sea - and straight toward them. Yet, as unprepared as the "Conchs" are, there is another group, just to the outskirts of town, many of whom literally do not know the meaning of a hurricane. This group is comprised of World War I veterans, down on their luck but hard at work, many for the first time in years, building a bridge that will soon connect one key to the next. Tensions between the locals - black and white - and between the locals and the veterans come to a head when a local, white woman is found beaten almost beyond recognition and the sheriff is pressured to finger a killer or allow the town to enact its own justice.

I sped through Vanessa Lafaye's book one rainy afternoon recently. She captures the essence of the 1930s and, especially, of the Jim Crow South, perfectly. The characters' dialogue, as well as their relationships with one another, are such that this book can only be set in one time and place. As with The Help, with few exceptions the black characters tend to be the most sympathetic, and Lafaye seems to take especial pleasure in seeing that the most offensive of the characters receive their just dues. (Given that the historical note at the beginning explains that the 1935 Keys hurricane was the most powerful to ever strike North America - and that it struck a bitty backwater in the midst of the Depression - just dues is something that more than a few - deserving and undeserving alike - received.)

This is the second book I've read about a hurricane recently: The Promise is set during the 1900 hurricane in Galveston. There, the main characters find themselves alone on an isolated farm when the storm comes; here, the characters are sheltered in large groups. It's hard to decide which was more terrifying. It's equally hard to decide which is the "better" book, and in the end, I don't think I will. Under a Dark Summer Sky is wonderfully written and deeply complex. Anyone who loves good writing and good story telling will enjoy this glimpse into the past.