The Golden Peacock sets
out to tell two intertwining stores, one of an American author,
Rainee, craving inspiration for her difficult second novel, the other
that of a young Jewish girl, Jana, separated from her family on a
transport ship to England in the early days of World War II. The
eventual synchronisation of these two strands of the story is well
orchestrated.
The story of Jana, from
exile from her native country to a farm in England, as well as the
temporary renouncing of Jewish practices in order to blend into her
surroundings is beautifully written and conveys a sense of inner
strength that sometimes only naïve children can demonstrate.
Rainee's story is
certainly less engaging than Jana's and I'm never a fan of an author
as a character in a novel, it always seems somewhat incestuous and
self-aggrandising. Her quest for the truth about Jana and her family
is admirable and moves at a brisk pace throughout, sucking me in more
than the character herself ever could. The passages about Rainee's
love life feel more like an afterthought at times. She has her
choice of two men and it's never clear why she picks one over the
other. I feel sorry for the unfortunate fellow who took a beating for
her and was discarded without so much as the courtesy of an
explanation.
The 'historical
fiction' genre, into which this book belongs, is one that allows
authors to cherry pick facts to support their storyline, sometimes to
the detriment of good storytelling. I had a hard time accepting
certain plot developments during Jana's time in wartime Britain,
developments which could have been more thoughtfully set up with
prior information or actions.
The ending, which I
won't spoil, feels a little rushed and haphazardly put together, a
twist too far perhaps. Any feelings the protagonist has about the
outcome aren't explored fully enough for my taste. Finally, I wish
I'd had the opportunity to read a little more Yiddish and hear the
Golden Peacock song in full and received fewer scholarly lectures on
MS by comparison.
Despite some of my
misgivings, I still enjoyed this book, particularly the story of
Jana. It's on the whole an interesting read and I'd have no trouble
in recommending it, particularly for those who like their historical
fiction.
