 |
The Last Paradise by Michael Kasenow iUniverse
book review by Barbara Deming
"...I am what I am. The past has made me. An' the future can't take that away."
Wall Street of the Southwest, international ships at docks, mansions on tree-lined streets—This was turn-of-the-century Galveston, a paradise to moneyed people. Behind this façade were the racially diverse inhabitants of the Alleys. Here the plucky poor lived, loved, laughed, cried, and, eventually, plotted to stand tall against the likes of wealthy businessman, Boss Conner, and the cop-in-his-pocket, Brood Hale.
In this post-Civil War town, Newt Haskins and Maxwell Hayes form a friendship. Newt is sentenced to community service for public drunkenness, and at St. Mary's Orphanage with Sisters Mary and Ruby and the children, he finds his place. Meanwhile, Maxy discovers and leaves an old flame, recognizes his love for Fanny and rights more than one wrong. Other characters urge the readers on a satisfying journey.
The novel's array of characters and their "family" from Bleach's Tavern lead us into the belly of Galveston before, during, and after the Great Hurricane of 1900. Their stories illuminate the resilience and fortitude of men and women, as well as the great city itself, when faced with horrific devastation that is blind to status, property, and class.
Debut novelist Michael Kasenow offers insights to greed, brutality, and the saving grace of healing, but it is through the frailty and strength of the human spirit that he reveals triumph over despair. All along, he depicts the beautiful, corrupt city filled with an array of complex citizens. Hopefully, this breathtaking, inspiring first novel is not the last from this author.