Official Review: The Pursuit of Innocence by Clifford Forde

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casper
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Official Review: The Pursuit of Innocence by Clifford Forde

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Pursuit of Innocence" by Clifford Forde.]
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This is the story of one man's escape from a life of hell in a labour camp, the men he leaves behind him and the woman who takes him in and gives him shelter. It opens with a dramatic scene as the man, roughly assisted by his comrades and accompanied by their instructions, leaps from a train into the night; a leap of faith into an unknown world that makes no sense to him. Slowly the reader's questions are answered as the story unfolds: who is he, why is he running away and from whom or what is he escaping?

Finding a refuge for the winter with a woman living hidden in one of the last remaining farmhouses, the runaway is able to rebuild his strength to continue his journey while they both find some comfort and companionship during the harsh weather which ensures their security. But with the coming of spring things change, the moment of calm passes and reality catches up, forcing him, and others, to take irrevocable actions.

Set in an authoritarian, military state run by the Beloved Leader, the author depicts a bleak world of corruption, war, futile existence and senseless destruction. There are constant orders and countermands; everything that is done is subsequently undone or overturned; leading figures fall in and out of favour in typical divide and rule style, creating a system that is designed to turn the young against the old and the ignorant against the wise.

Although the main action of the book centres around the young fugitive, Boots, it is hard to say that he is the protagonist as the histories of several characters are recounted in depth and contribute to the outcome of the story. Indeed, Boots is given the task of carrying his comrades' stories with him so that a part of them can exist in the outside world. In some ways the characters are strangely anonymous - we are never told their real names - and as part of the dehumanising process in the camp the prisoners are given numbers instead of names, which are often forgotten over time. However, human spirit wins through and the nicknames that the internees confer on each other are all the more precious, giving them a sense of individuality and identity: Croppy, Swilly, Greybeard, Stiff Leg and Hook.

The author has created some curious characters - for me the most interesting is Swilly with his complex shades of light humour and dark secrets - and the story centres very much around the relationships between them, giving many of them a purpose in life (Boots regarded as a brother by his companions in the camp; the army captain's concern for his men) even though the regime regards attachment to anyone other than the Beloved Leader to be treason and frequently enforces this by taking away fathers and husbands, and conscripting the children.

The story touches on issues like guilt and innocence, punishment, justice and sacrifice. There are instances of betrayal such as when a child denounces his grandmother and an informer is required to deceive his friends. What appears at first to be quite a simple tale has some unexpected twists that call into question the motives and integrity of some of the characters, most of whom are sympathetic and human at heart, but warped by circumstances and the instinct to survive. The system makes it hard for anyone to remain innocent and uncontaminated.

I was interested to read this book as I currently live in a country that was a one-party state during the last century and is still dealing with the consequences. I enjoyed most of it although I was rather disappointed by the ending and I found the structure a bit wayward at times; the long flashbacks meant I lost track of where we were and sometimes it seemed to go slowly when I wanted to get on with the action. There were also occasions when I thought the writing style rather repetitive. A few minor errors have been missed by the proofreaders but these didn't really detract from the story. In spite of these quibbles, I liked the way the book focused on the feelings and actions of a small group of people and the way their lives intertwined and I have rated The Pursuit of Innocence 3 out of 4 stars.

***
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