In the Shadow of the Cypress

Author Thomas Steinbeck's "In The Shadow of the Cypress" shows him to be an outstanding heir to his father's literary legacy. Steinbeck the younger presents a tale that starts in Monterey's Chinatown in 1906. Dr. Charles Gilbert, of the Hopkins Marine Station, writes a journal about some artifacts found buried at the base of a cypress: a carved jade seal with an imperial "chop" and a navigational tablet -- items which may just prove that the Chinese explored the West Coast before the Spanish. His inroads and efforts to learn about the objects take him through the inner workings of the Chinese culture in the area. Eventually, the local Chinese authorities decide that the artifacts are best preserved by selling them to one of San Francisco's Chinese family corporations. Gilbert makes some rubbings and takes photographs of the items prior to them being boxed up, carefully sealed in wax, and put on a steam ship to San Francisco (railroads had not yet been connected to San Francisco after the earthquake). The steam ship goes down after an explosion and the artifacts are lost. Cut forward to 1998, when Charles Lucas is a marine biology student on an internship at the Hopkins Station. He finds Gilbert's papers and, with the assistance of his linguist and computer scientist friend Robert Wu, determines to solve the mystery of what happened to these valuable items. Wu translates the writing on the base of the seal while Lucas explores Gilbert's journals on the sly. He's been assigned to clean up the files at Hopkins Station, not start a treasure hunt. Steinbeck draws you into the story with beautiful details and imagery. Like his father before him, he creates a scene filled with fascinating characters and interesting stories. Not to be missed by those who are interested in California history.

It certainly was captivating. The story took you back over one hundred years, set up the rest of the novel and then moved to current times. I enjoyed the Chinese side of the story; describing their culture and ways. The pursuit of the shipwreck and the sunken treasure was an interesting part of the story. I have read most of Clive Cusslers writings and this was handled the same as he writes. It was more of a intellectual handling of the information which I found to be very well done. I would reccomend this novel to all.

As I was scanning the 400-plus titles and descriptions from the May Vine Newsletter in despair of finding a book that would interest me, my eyes stopped on three words that I found irresistible: Cypress, Monterey, and Steinbeck. Thomas Steinbeck. Curious, I Googled his name and discovered that the author was, indeed, the son of John, my literary hero, whose prose I could never hope to emulate and whose tales set in California's Salinas Valley and Monterey, where I once lived, have entranced me for more years than I care to remember. "In the Shadow of the Cypress" caught and held my interest from start to finish. Beginning in 1906, the story, which spans more than a century, encapsulates the lesser-known history of the Chinese community on the Monterey peninsula, interweaving known events, such as the great San Francisco earthquake, with possible events, based upon a historical scenario that had unfolded some five hundred years previously. Told in three parts, the author's deceptively simple narrative masks a complex and unusual mystery. It was only in the final pages that I became dismayed as the plot was unwinding. But no! Mr. Steinbeck's ending soars to a magical conclusion. It must be in the genes.

What fascinates about a great writer - or great film director for that matter - is the immense curiosity and natural inclination to absorb discovery with nuanced sensibility. This talent, cultivated through diligent practice, powers the imagination now by means of intricate voice, manner and style to transport the reader - or viewer - to place and time that one only dreamed exists. I love this kind of travel, and history's mysteries. Steinbeck in the true tradition of his clan takes you on a trip - the nature and texture of which is not readily easy to release from.

Thomas Steinbeck has accomplished something unusual in this era where bestsellers are bloated, unreadable concoctions hacked out by writers of less than moderate talent but who enjoy the privilege of having fooled the New York publishing industry into spending thousands of dollars to make those authors household names. A survey of the "K" section in Barnes & Noble is enough to make one despair at the lack of literature among that tightly crammed shelf. But Mr. Steinbeck has accomplished the unusual by writing a literate, compelling American novel. He is his own man and comparisons to his famous (and brilliant) father notwithstanding, Mr. Steinbeck has created a novel told in three distinctive parts, each part connected and culminating in a cultural historical adventure that will keep readers enthralled. Mr. Steinbeck's previous entry was the superlative short story collection "Down to a Soundless Sea" which I also heartily recommend. "In the Shadow of the Cypress" marks his debut as a novelist but no matter if he writes novels or short stories you can mark me down as a bona fide fan. Kudos!