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A review of Jerry Bolton's novel.
If America had another civil war, what would be the cause? Would it again be fought between the northern and southern states, or perhaps east versus west? Considering the current political climate perhaps it might be red states versus blue states, a scenario which seems more plausible with each election cycle in this age of increasing intolerance.
In Jerry Bolton's fine novel, “MARGARET and DAVID, A Love Story” that war has occurred and caused tumultuous change in the social structure of the country. It is not political intolerance, though, that has turned the country upside down. Instead, America has suffered a race war and the Caucasian race has been relegated to the status once endured by the Negro population. White people are now confined to “regions” that serve as ghettos, places without jobs or opportunity. A particular faction of the black population operates much as the KKK once did, perpetrating atrocities on a largely helpless white population.
As always, though, there are those who cannot stomach the cruelty and injustice. Margaret, a young university student, is one member of the ruling class who struggles to find a reason why an entire race of people should be considered inferior and made to suffer. When a mission of mercy takes her to the white ghetto, she meets David, who happens to be the leader of the resistance. There is an almost immediate attraction between the two. Of course, it is tempered by resentment and a learned distrust on David's part, and by Margaret's fear of a people that she wishes to help but doesn't understand. The weeks that follow will find her torn between her growing love for David, her loyalty to her father, and her impatience with a love that she sometimes feels may not be fully requited.
“MARGARET and DAVID, A Love Story” is set in the future and features some science fiction staples, such as flying cars and sophisticated communication devices. However, it is not so much science fiction as it is a cautionary tale of what could happen tomorrow and what has happened many times in the past. Whenever a race of people is subjugated, whether it be the slaves of ancient Egypt, the early Christians who were ruled by the Romans, the Jewish peoples in Nazi Germany, or the black slaves of an earlier America—whenever or wherever it happens—there must be citizens who are willing to fight for what is right. “MARGARET And DAVID” is an age old story of courage and redemption, of standing against evil and injustice. And it is also the most timeless of all tales...a love story. You will find yourself rooting for this couple as much as for their cause, hoping that love will, as they say, conquer all.
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If Margaret and David has significance it will be picked up by those interested in significant stories and become classic like Huckleberry Finn. That is the only thing that Jerry can hope for because, unless the novel is splashed all over the headlines, it will not be a bestseller.
I'm way behind in my reading and have promised to read Jerry's autobiography first, so will be some time before I get to Margaret and David. Forgive me.
Ron