The Levee, William Kent Krueger, author; J D Jackson, narrator
This is an audio book extraordinaire, a novella that will keep you riveted to your ear buds. It is read superbly by Jackson and written, as always, eloquently by Krueger. This is a story about a rescue mission during The Great Flood of 1927, the worst flood in the history of the country. Four men, a priest and three convicts, Boone, Dobbs and Cassidy who are on a temporary reprieve from prison for this mission, make the dangerous trip down the flooded Mississippi River, to Ballymore., the estate that was the former home of the priest, Quince Mobley. Boone is the youngest and strongest and he is on the oars. Ballymore passed to the priest’s sister when he gave up his worldly goods and entered the priesthood. However, his sister drowned there in a previous flood. She is buried there. Her husband Jefferson Cain built the levee afterwards to try to prevent further loss of life and property. He remains there with his young teenage daughter, Sylvia, and his servants, Ada and Isaac. They are part of the staff that has not run off in fear, abandoning them. Now, the river is flooding again, but Jefferson won’t leave the estate because the body of his wife is buried there. Is that his real reason? Although he is putting the lives of the others at risk too, since they won’t leave him, he insists on trying to save the levee. Dobbs was a former dam builder who was framed by his brother-in-law while he was away in the service of the country. Now, he is the one who has the knowledge needed. However, this flood is a monster, and it will severely challenge the levee and those trying to save it.
This short book has huge messages. It is about choices, hope and faith. It is about greed, ethics, the power of nature over man. It is about survival, bravery and spinelessness. It is about questioning our belief in ourselves and/or a higher power. Where is G-d in all of this? Where will you land on all of these issues?