A KILLING IN PLYMOUTH COLONY

How does an insular community of Chosen Ones deal with outsiders, especially when one of them is a murderer? How do outsiders feel, when one of them is the son of Governor Bradford? Hurst and Otis examine such dynamics in 1630 Plymouth in a story based on a true incident about which little is known. Told through the eyes of John Bradford, the 11-year-old son of the governor, this reads like a plot summary, with little development of setting and character. The third-person point of view is distancing, and the dialogue, in spite of “aye” and “’tis” and “ye” sprinkled throughout, is wooden, sounding at times more like speeches or monologues than conversation. The thoughts and emotions attributed to John make him seem older than he’s supposed to be. Though the premise is solid, the story doesn’t do it justice. (preface, cast of characters, afterword, glossary) (Fiction. 10-14)