REVIEWbyU - Year of wonders, by Geraldine Brooks

Year of wonders, by Geraldine Brooks
Reviewed by: Laura
Rating: : 4 stars

Centered on the plague rampant in the village Eyam, Geraldine Brooks’ 2001 novel ‘Year of Wonders’ exposes the varied responses of villagers in the face of human tragedy.

Partly drawn from real events which occurred during the plague in the 1660s, Brooks constructs a close-nit society ravaged by an unrelenting plague where chaos, questionable morality, bravery and emotional collapse thrive.

The novel’s protagonist, widow Anna Frith, decides upon attending to those in her village whose lives are fraught by the devastating effects of the plague after the loss of her two sons. Whilst most of the characters are either overtly ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ Brooks blurs this distinction for characters of the likes of Mompellion, where as an audience we are poised to question whether his actions are marked by a sense of goodwill or founded purely on underlying egoistic motivations or by way of asserting his authority.

Her novel hinges on each villagers’ differing responses to the plague, where it is revealed “these times, they do make monsters of us all.” Whilst acts of heroism and selflessness define the actions of some villagers, acts of cowardice, self preservation and fear also prevail in a society damaged by physical, social and moral collapse.

Although set in the 1660s, thematic references to female roles within society, societal breakdown, response to adversity and the task of holding onto a sense of faith during devastation are still very relevant to a modern audience.

‘Year of Wonders’ is a fascinating read which can be appreciated by an audience for those aged thirteen and onwards. Brooks invites her audience to question the morality of characters and inevitably ask ‘what would I do in these circumstances?’ The events which circulate throughout the book- particularly Anna’s future, leave us reading up until the very end!


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