"Something stirred deep inside of me, something primal and
potent. I felt like I was coming home and that I was farther away than
I'd ever been."
Last year at ALA Annual, I was exploring
booths when I ran across a woman picking up a book. That woman was
Jennifer McKissack overcome with emotion at seeing her book in print and
displayed for readers. We were speaking a few minutes, and ever since
then, I've been trying to get this book out of my TBR pile! I am glad I
did. It is more than simply another ghostly paranormal story. The
setting of Sanctuary is eerie, yet conjures up some familiarity for the
reader in returning to a place of our own past and finding it both
similar and unknown.
Though it seems more of a haunted house
story, the setting does not dwell heavily on the house and exploring the
house, but rather Cecilia and her slow maturation from childhood
thoughts and memories and justifying that with the person she is now and
who she will be in the future. I loved this juxtaposition of past
versus present and future for Cecilia. Her self-identity is in crisis
and yet she is the only one who can fix herself. Through a slowly
spellbinding and mysterious rhetoric, Cecilia unravels mysteries and
commits herself to be a curse breaker and do what generations of women
before her have ultimately failed and been trapped themselves at
attempting--to free Amoret and the spirits of Sanctuary.
Along
with a strong theme of feminism or the hidden strengths of women, there
is a deep sense of ancestry and heritage that is significant in the
novel revolving around Cecilia and the Acadians of Canada. For those who
are unfamiliar, Acadia was an area colonized by French settlers which
is now part of Quebec, the Maritime provinces of Canada (New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island [of Anne of Green Gables
fame] etc.), and parts of Maine. Acadians, while mostly French, were
also made up of the Mi'kimaq who were people indigenous to that area.
The history contained in the book is something I missed the first time
around, but it plays a key role for Cecilia and Sanctuary. Amoret, whom
Cecelia's mother and sister were obsessed with, was Acadian and along
with her family and other Acadians were forcibly removed from their land
by the British, part of the Great Upheaval during the French and Indian
War. (Fun fact: When the British sent a portion of the Acadians to
France, a majority of them resettled in southern Louisiana thereby
making the area Acadian or "Cajun", the heritage of which is still
significant today.)
There are some romantic elements as Cecilia
finds the professor, Eli, intriguing and begins to confide in him, since
he appears to be sympathetic and kind and altogether unlike her
terrorizing uncle. As their trust grows, Cecilia finds herself falling
in love with him when she never thought something was possible, and Eli
seems to love her too. Still, Cecilia knows he's holding something back
from her. She grows conflicted with her relationships, her past, and her
own mental state which she figures must be coloring his judgment of
her. These doubts and secrets have the potential to ruin any chance at
future happiness.
Sanctuary is written with
haunting precision, like being slowly drawn into a web by a malicious
spider. The historical details were woven throughout with care and added
rich depth to the story. This book is perfect for those nights of fall
and winter! Be sure to curl up with a nice hot cup of tea or cocoa and don’t forget to find a nice haunted mansion for inspiration!
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