One August Day

Charlotte Morgan's writing makes me believe in reincarnation. The speech, thinking, historical details-all rang so true it gave me goose bumps. Excellent literary fiction and character development.

One August Day by Charlotte MorganOn the 20th of August 1969 more than 25 inches of rain fell in Nelson County,Vitginia. The area was devastated. Many lives were lost and much physical damage occurred.Besides the homes washed away, the known dead and the missing, there were eight bodies never identified. Who were they?? Why didn't someone come forward to claim them? Where were their families-loved ones?Thirty years later these questions are still unanswered. Now Charlotte Morgan with her skillful use of words has rescued them from obscurity. Each has been given a past life with events leading them to being on the mountain in the midst of this torrential rain.She has captured the depth of their emotions as they face the inevitable. Their place in the memory of all readers of this warm-caring novel will be a lasting one as well as the upheaval caused by Hurricane Camille in Nelson County on that fateful day.The many physical and mental scars remaining have been brought to forefront by the author in her readable memorial of August 20,1969.

This debut novel by Morgan amazed and compelled me to an extent which no other book has done in a long time. The character sketch is so vivid that by the end of the novel one feels as if they know these five people on a personal level. I could not get enough of this book.

Like H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, there exists a literary vehicle in which characters act out the drama of their lives before inescapable tragedy/death usually at the hands of some superhuman power. Lovecraft, as an author of the horror genre, does not occupy the same stage as Mrs. Morgan. However, rarely has the use of this vehicle witnessed much success. Mrs. Morgan is a success. In this case, she chooses her monster well, a world record breaking flash flood. The problem with using this vehicle well is that too often it focuses on the inescapable conclusion and rarely does it provide the detail and character description needed in a good novel. Often, this type of backdrop is used as a gimmick to heighten the suspense of the final scene. It is important to note that Mrs. Morgan does not fall into the trap; she does not rely upon the gimmick. Instead, she properly details the lives and scenery of her characters, and so her novel achieves the success it deserves. When you add to the fact that her novel is set upon historic truth, we are left with a rare effect, the kind of effect that is chilling and suspensful where a reader both is enthralled with the characters and anxious to learn of their final callings. Kudos to Mrs. Morgan.

The concept is redilent of Thornton Wilder's work, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, but I have to give Ms. Morgan credit. The book is a tribute to the art of the character sketch. For those who like historical fiction, this is a must buy. For those who do not, buy it anyway.