Camino Ghosts, John Grisham, author; Whoopi Goldberg, narrator
The book is number three in the Camino series, but it falls short of the author's usual prowess. The choice of narrator was a failure. Her tone of voice was irritating, for some reason, and her expression actually lacked the credibility and appropriate emotion that the story seemed to require. Her presentation seemed contrived, almost as if she was working too hard to present it.
As the novel starts, we witness the wedding of Mercer and Thomas, barefoot and romantic. A guest, Bruce Cable, the bookstore owner, suggests that Mercer, an author, write her next book about an interesting island, known as Dark Isle, said to be inhabited by ghosts. The island is supposedly owned by Lovely Jackson, whose ancestors were slaves. She prefers to use only her first name, since the last was given to her by a master with whom she has no connection, nor does she care to remember him. She claims ownership of the cursed island, but a corporation is insisting the island does not belong to her. They demand the right to build a resort on it. The state of Florida is suing her for its possession since the development of the island promises a lucrative reward for the state.
Lovely’s family, along with the survivors from a shipwrecked slave ship, settled the island. Her history and her ancestors are still there in the burial ground. The actual proof of their residency there, however, was completely destroyed in a hurricane. Still, she won’t sell the island, she won’t relinquish her control, and she does not want it to be desecrated. To prove her right to the island, and to protect the environment, in steps a law firm to help her fight the evil corporate world, pro bono, for a charge of about five dollars.
The author described Lovely’s family’s slave history and their journey to America. He omits the fact that it was their fellow Africans that had kidnapped them and sold them to the white men, but it is mentioned that the Africans had never seen a white man until the boat arrived to take them away. The treatment of the slaves was abysmal and inhumane, as was the very practice of slavery. Chained together and locked in the holds, many had drowned when their ship sunk. Those that reached the island and survived, were able to capture their former captors as they swam to the island and what they thought was safety. The former captive slaves murdered them, only after brutally beating them in retaliation. The women and teenagers had been raped by them, and the men had been beaten mercilessly. It was retribution. They took justice into their own hands.
The author’s themes were progressive in nature. The corporate world and the politicians were guilty of trying to abuse the little guy. They did not care about the environment. They cared only about the profit motive. I found the story threads weak and thin, as they never really fully developed any theme for me, but merely hinted at them. Even though justice seemed to be served, it did not really accomplish a larger goal, other than securing the island’s future. The corporate greed still existed, the toxic men were still in charge, the environment was not better protected, and so the result was only fleeting and served the needs of Lovely, alone. It was a disappointing read. The only redeeming feature for me was the history that was presented about slavery which seemed authentic and needed to be aired.