You won't want to break these Chains

I don't like historical fiction. No, really. My performance in history classes throughout school can best be described as "mediocre," and that's being generous. I never found history terribly interesting and perhaps as a result, I don't read much historical fiction.

Part of the frustration with reading historical fiction, being someone who's not any good with history, is that you're never quite sure how much history the author is playing with, how many events actually occurred and how many she's making up. Over time, though, any reader learns that there are certain authors you can always trust to get history right, and there are certain authors who even on their worst day will turn out something fairly good. Laurie Halse Anderson is both of these. I confess I'm late to the party for reading her latest book, Chains (copy courtesy of the lovely people at Simon & Schuster), but let me tell you, this party is still going strong.

Chains is narrated by Isabel, a slave girl whose mother has recently died. She is alone in the world with her sister, Ruth, an epileptic. Her mistress in Rhode Island has also died, leaving her and Ruth to be sold to a couple from New York City. The Locktons may not be the worst masters around, but they are far from the best. The man, Elihu, is a Loyalist who is in on a few plots to keep America a part of England. His wife, who insists on being called Madam, has little regard for the lives of those she deems beneath her. Isabel works long, hard days, but she is not alone. In her trips to a local water pump she meets a boy, a rebel who asks her to get involved on spying on her masters. Isabel knows the danger of being caught as a spy, but she finds she has a talent for it. Able to read, write, and speak well, Isabel understands much more of her masters than they want her to. Isabel's knowledge of the Revolution expands every day, and her loyalties change accordingly. Whether she's supporting the British or the Americans, she knows one thing: She is her own person and must figure out a way to become free.

I think one of the dangers in writing any book that doesn't take place in the contemporary world is that it's easy to get bogged down in the details of worldbuilding. The writer must not only create a place completely (or at least partially) foreign to the contemporary reader and convince the reader to stay there. J.K. Rowling was particularly good at this, revealing small details about her world through conversation and everyday events. 1776 New York in Chains, thankfully for history morons like me, is also constructed in this fashion. There is no point where the author breaks in to have the narrator marvel on the great wonders of the city. We see what Revolutionary War New York looked like through Isabel's simple yet vivid descriptions of everyday life. Isabel herself is neither maudlin nor emotionally detached from both the good and the bad things that happen to her. She's a heroine who doesn't see herself as heroic; she only does what she believes is right. I know I learned a lot about New York's history from Chains (not being a native of New Jersey, I'm not so up with the regional history), but I only felt like I was reading a fascinating story narrated by a well-spoken, well-balanced, thoughtful, loving, and strong main character.

What's the only thing wrong with this book? I have to wait for a sequel!!!

Chains is currently shortlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Laurie Halse Anderson's website || review at The Reading Zone || review by Abby (the) Librarian || review at Librarian by Day