The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick is his debut novel, published in 2003. I have had this on my stack of books to read for that long. I finally read it, and sit here wondering what took me so long to pick it up and peruse the pages. It is fitting that I start off 2009 reviewing it.

It is a book that seemingly wants to be a mystery, a thriller, a fast-paced book, a book of intrigue, a book filled with secrets, and a book with a surprise ending. It is a novel that contains many of those facets, and is a good read.

The Sixth Lamentation jumps back and forth in time, one minute we are in World War II occupied France, the next we are in the present, then back through time, again. The novel doesn’t dwell on the Holocaust, per se, but rather focuses on the characters and their roles during the Holocaust.

Brodrick has given us some characters that have depth to them, such as Father Anselm, a former barrister (lawyer) who left his life to become a monk. Brodrick, himself, is a former monk, who left that life to become a barrister, and I am positive that he was able to bring substance to Father Anselm due to that factor. Father Anselm is caught between various factions within the novel’s pages, ever searching for the truth of the situation he is thrust into.

The monastery is giving sanctuary to Eduard Schwermann, a WWII SS officer, who is accused of involvement of in the deportation of Jewish immigrants to Auschwitz, and Jewish French citizens to Auschwitz during WWII occupied France. The fear is that the church will be put into the spotlight in a negative way, especially if Schwermann is eventually found guilty of the war crimes.

Brodrick injects a bit of subtle humor into the story. Father Anselm has a few quirks, and the monks he becomes involved with are a bit eccentric, also (as we all are…in our own way). The novel drifts slowly through the present, as Father Anselm turns up more interesting facts about the individuals that were involved in a group known as “The Round Table”, whose object was to smuggle Jewish children out of France during WWII and the German occupation.

One person who was part of “The Round Table” is Agnes Embleton, who, in the present, is dying from motor neuron disease. She has a secret, and can’t bring herself to verbalize it, but decides to keep the facts in a diary of sorts (she bought two notebooks to write into). That is all I will describe of the plot and of some of the characters. You will have to read it for yourself to decide what you think.

The first half of the book went slow for me, and I feel that it is possibly due to the fact that Brodrick wanted to inject some background information and some depth into some of the characters, and convey lack of depth in others. The last half of the book went quicker, and I was more eager to read it. There are secrets revealed within extremely harrowing situations, and through those secrets we come to realize that individuals are not who we think they are. That is the brilliance of Brodrick’s writing.

Brodrick injects vivid word-images with sharpness and beautiful prose into the novel. His brilliance lies in his ability to blend a tapestry that spans decades, jumping from the present to the past, and back again to the present, with ease. One doesn’t feel his writing is forced or constrained, as it is quite fluid (even the initial pages that went slow for me). In order to grasp the intentions of the characters, their substance (or lack of), their integrity, and the facts, one must read carefully in order to make sure they comprehend what is happening.

What exactly does the title imply? The Biblical Book of Lamentations and its poems describe the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple, and how individuals cope with love, loss and grief. The addition of a “sixth lamentation”, for me, is an analogy to the Holocaust. It is also a comparison to the characters in the novel, and how they maintained their lives, through superficial presentations of themselves, in order to cope with their crumbled past, during a devastating period of history.

In my opinion, the book is a metaphor for truth, and for how an individual presents himself/herself to the world around them. People are not always what they appear to be. What is my truth is not necessarily your truth, even if we are involved in the same issues or events. Does one really know the people in their daily lives, such as family members? Are they seemingly forthright, but in reality displaying superficial sides of themselves? an one forgive the ultimate betrayal by another? Those issues, and so much more, are what one is left to ponder within the pages. Brodrick writes with brilliance and depth, and his word-paintings fill our senses. The Sixth Lamentation, by William Brodrick is an excellent debut novel, and keeps the reader wanting to learn more.
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Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
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Friday January 2, 2009 – 6th of Tevet, 5769