Title: Transgressions
Author: Erastes
Publisher: Running Press
Genre: M/M historical
Length: 381 pages
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
A Guest Review by Jenre
THE BLURB
1642, England: David Caverly’s strict father has brought home the quiet, puritanical Jonathan Graie to help his dreamer of a son work the family forge. With war brewing in Parliament, the demand for metal work increases as armies are raised. The fair David is drawn to his father’s new apprentice. And though his father treats them both as if they were brothers, David’s feelings toward the shy Jonathan develop as they hide their growing physical relationship. Until the fateful moment when local gossips force David’s father to banish him, to protect the family name.
Freed, directionless, and whimsical, David is eager to experience the drama and excitement of war, and follows two soldiers headed for battle, but the reality is a harsh awakening for his free-spirited nature. Seizing the opportunity to desert, David heads to London to lead a secret life, unaware that Jonathan too has left the forge in search of him.
Lost and lonely, the vulnerable Jonathan quickly falls in with the Witchfinders, a group of extremists who travel the country conducting public trials of women suspected of witchcraft. Jonathan is drawn to the charismatic Michael, finally embracing a cause for truth so wholeheartedly, he doesn’t recognize the danger—physical and emotional—that Michael represents. For the fanatic puritan is desperate to purge Jonathan of his memories of David in any manner possible….
THE REVIEW
Set in the mid-1600s, during the English Civil War and spanning a period of seven years, this complex, intricate book about the love and fortunes of two men was an engrossing read from start to finish.
At the beginning of Transgressions we are introduced to David. He is the son of Jacob, the local blacksmith. David is supposed to be learning the trade from his father as well as helping to tend the farm. Unfortunately, David is lazy, vain and self-indulgent. He shirks his work as much as possible, spending his days lazing by the river, dreaming of joining the King’s men and fighting in the war. To say that he was an unsympathetic character is putting it mildly. Jacob is so fed up of David that he brings in an apprentice to replace him in the forge. Jonathan is the opposite to David: Pale and dark haired to David’s golden skin and white-blond hair; quiet and hardworking to David’s outgoing but lazy nature; A puritain with a strong faith to David’s agnosticism. It doesn’t take long before they are firm friends and for a while Jonathan seems to be having a positive influence on David. This all changes when two of the King’s soldiers call at the forge when the young men have been left in change. One of the men, Tobias, seduces David whilst Jon is kept talking by the other man, Hal. Suddenly David realises why he has never felt any stirrings for the local girls and also why he has strange urges to touch Jon. After that David seduces Jonathan, despite the other man’s reservations and they begin a passionate affair. Circumstances conspire against them though and they are forced to take separate paths: David to join the King’s men and Jonathan to take the path of religious fanaticism.
I said at the beginning of the review that this was a complex book. Its complexity lies mostly within the characterisation as well as a little in the circumstances that these men endure. The story is mainly character driven and is written mostly from the point of view of either Jonathan or David but did also include the thoughts of other characters from time to time. The shifts in point of view worked well most of the time, but there was some occasional head hopping. The reader would be in one character’s head for a while, then would swap between two characters’ POV for a paragraph or so, before settling back down into one character’s head. At times this was a little confusing whilst my brain switched from character to character. However, this is just a minor criticism in what was a terrific study of how personality and fate shape and control a person’s destiny.
As I have said, I didn’t really like David too much at the beginning. I feel that this was deliberately done by the author since as the book progresses, David loses his selfishness and begins to grow and develop into a mature, thoughtful man. By the end of the book, I liked him a great deal, even if he never really overcomes his tendency to run away from difficult situations. David’s maturity comes not only from fighting as a soldier and learning to cope with living a harsh life, but also the relationships he forms with other men after he and Jonathan separate. Those of you who like the sort of romance where once true love is found, then a character stays completely faithful, despite a long separation, may not find this book to their taste. David experiences several different types of love throughout the book both platonic and sexual and I found it interesting to discover how they shaped and molded David into the man he became at the end of the book. Jonathan too does not remain celibate during that time although his experiences are very different and darker than David’s.
I found Jonathan more of a difficult character to like. On one hand I understood how his religious beliefs made it difficult to accept that he was homosexual and also allowed him to be seduced into a lifestyle of religious fervour similar to that of a D/s relationship, but on the other this gave him an other-worldliness which formed a slight barrier to me identifying with him.
For those of you who may be put off this book because it is an historical or because you don’t like stories which are set in times of war, I urge you to reconsider when it comes to Transgressions. I never felt preached at or that all the historical detail was forced down my throat. Instead the historical details were seamlessly intertwined with the daily lives of these men and the other characters in the book. The war formed a backdrop to the men’s lives, and although there is one short battle scene and a few tiny references to another battle, it is the way that the war affects the ordinary citizens of the towns which is the main focus. For much of the first part of Transgressions there is a sense that most people do not care for either side of the war and only wish to be left to carry on with their lives. I found this an interesting contrast to those books which focus on the glory and the gore of battle and I learned much about a period of history about which I previously knew very little.
Apart from the headhopping I mentioned, there were only a couple of minor annoyances which affected my reading of this book. Firstly, there were at least 5 typing errors which pulled me out of the story on each occasion. Secondly, I was left with a number of questions at the end of the book both in terms of other characters whose fate we never discover and in relation to David and Jonathan’s relationship. I’m not sure how the author could have resolved those questions though without a dreaded epilogue, so I have to be content with using my imagination instead!
Overall, Erastes has brought the past back to life in this involving story of two very different men who find love. I found the story deeply affecting at times and could hardly bear to put the book down. I would highly recommend that you read Transgressions.
I loved this book too. The character development is great. They are very different people by the end of the book than they were at the start and the stages of that are beautifully drawn.
Personally I like a quite open ending. But then, I love a series… 😀
One interesting historical aspect I noticed is how hard it was for the characters to actually know what’s going on in the war, or anything happening elsewhere. That struck me as very authentic. We’re so used to knowing details of events from the other side of the world right after the happen it’s hard to imagine what it was like to live in a world where some event changing the course of history could happen twenty miles away and if you heard about it at all that would be through rumor and hearsay. That feeling of a very limited world view comes across well I think.
Hey junkfoodmonkey
Erastes may correct me on this, but I don’t think there is to be a sequel which is why the open end was a tiny bit frustrating. I don’t need to have everything tied up in a neat bow at the end of a book, but as far as I can tell, Jon and David still have a rough journey ahead of them. I wasn’t a big deal though. Rather this ending where I could let my imagination fill in the rest, than a book which should have ended 4 chapters before it did!
I found the whole civil war setting very interesting. Despite it being the history of my own country – and quite an important one at that – I don’t know much about the era, other than the basic facts. So to be immersed in it as I was with this book, and to live through that time in the heads of these characters was extremely informative.
Heh, I know, it’s not going to be a series, but a girl can dream. 😉 Maybe it’s coming from a fanfiction background, I like loose ends to play with.
Uh oh, do you hear those alarm bells clanging in my head? That’s the reaction to the words “religious fanaticism”. Umm, even if they “get over it” later, I will likely stop reading at that part. Sigh. One of those reader quirks some of us seem to have. Glad you enjoyed it.
Tam: I have to admit that the sections in the book where Jonathan gets mixed up with the witchfinders were some of the most difficult parts for me. However, they also fit entirely with Jonathan’s character and wish for redemption from the guilt he feels about David.
Jen
What a wonderful and thorough review. You made me feel as if I were living the book, which is the gretest compliment to pay a reviewer.
I like the realism of David finding love in many different forms and with others. Readers who have unrealistic expectations of one true love may not like this aspect of the story but they would be living in a fantasy world, given the times. Imagine how difficult it would have been to form relationships in that period, while not knowing if you’re going to live or die the next day.
Erastes’ characters are always complex – I remember when I read Standish I didn’t like either protagonist because they were both very flawed, yet the writing won me over to the extent that the book was in my Top 10 for 2008.
Great job Jen. I think Erastes will be very pleased when she reads this.
Thanks Wave, you’re making me blush!
I thought the same way as you regarding the other relationships. Plus both men are so young. Why shouldn’t they give into temptation when neither are expecting to see each other again for a long time – or maybe even never?
Thank you, Jenre, what a lovely review!
I’m pleased that the characters were a little difficult – I don’t necessarily want the characters to be loved but I do want them to be interesting, and perhaps win the reader over, no matter what. Jon’s distance which you pick up on brilliantly, is definitely part of him–and it’s that distance that helps him deal with the (unnamed) things he had to deal with in the gap leaving Mistley and becoming one of Cromwell’s trusted inquistors.
As for the religious fanaticism, well, Tam, that’s pretty much unavoidable in the 1600’s. Religion wasn’t a choice like it is today, but I think you’d forgive me for Michael if you read it! Although Michael wasn’t real, the Witchfinders were, and after the abominations of films like “The Witchfinder General” I wanted to write something more truthful about their activities. So many people think that they burned witches (they didn’t) or that they took “justice” into their own hands (they didn’t) – and were in fact, con-artists, not religious zealots at all.
It’s a lovely review – and you make me very happy.