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The Sixth Surrender by Hana Samek Norton Penguin
book review by Karyn Saemann
"Sometimes, when you don't have your legs wrapped around me, I think of you as a friend–he tapped her lips before she could speak–and I would give up everything else to keep that. But I will not have you plot against me."
Readers who relish lust but refuse to set their brain on a shelf have a new author to savor. Born in the Czech Republic and now a U.S. resident, debut novelist Hana Samek Norton parlays her love of and PhD in history into a deeply entwined tale of 13th Century France. The story follows Juliana, a smart yet naïve fledgling nun and heiress to a rural viscounty who is unwillingly thrust into an arranged marriage with the fiery, womanizing mercenary Guerin de Lasalle. The match is made at the highest political level, by the King of England's mother. The move is the cornerstone of a scheme to safeguard the throne for her son. Others, meanwhile, harbor their own plots. Who knows what and how much, and the nature of their own assorted lies and subversions, slowly emerges. Ultimately, de Lasalle's torrid family past becomes the novel's central focus. Juliana, meanwhile, continually and dangerously missteps due to her lack of the big picture.
Norton's writing is rich and challenging and intricately plotted to appeal to thinking readers. The dialogue is witty and sharp-tongued, as characters spar not only with knives and swords, but also with words. Based on actual historical events and people, fictionalized to the author's fancy, the story's personal and political linkages run deep. There are fully a score of key characters, from kings and countesses to whores and nuns, whose pasts and presents intertwine, many of them sharing lovers. Where politics and bedrooms collide, great intrigue is ensured. Intelligently passionate and a writer to watch.