The Hippopotamus Marsh ~ Pauline Gedge

My knowledge about Egypt begins and ends with the dead, and the names of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs. I think the artwork is lovely and that hieroglyphs should still be common practice as an alternate method of communication. I know a total sum of zero about how the living actually lived;; not the traditions, cultural differences between groups or the religion/faith/belief system. I do know that they had an impressive military system, at least one that was strong enough to lord it over the Canaanites, but I don't know any of the specifics, or the dates. Which is a problem because I haven't quite figured out where precisely in history the story I'm reviewing fits in the then global structure.



Had this novel not been selected as one of the options for a monthly read for a book group I probably would have never picked it up. Unlikely I would have really ever known of its existence. It's a shame really as I would like to support the national talent writing historical fiction. I could probably write an entire novel on my shame in knowing so little about my own country's authors. The few I do know about I've either stumbled across or they were one of the chosen novels for the CBC (national broadcaster) Canada Reads competition where each year 5 celebrities each defend a book released that year. Like all good reality shows, by the end of the day the viewers/listeners vote off one of the books. However, none of this has to do with Pauline Gedge's book, only my ignorance. Compound that ignorance with the fact that I'm not generally drawn to Egyptian historical fiction and voilà.

I'm never sure what to say about a book that I find moves along too slowly regarding a subject I know nothing about. In these instances, what I hope for is a story that will draw me in, or characters with which I will connect and come to love. None of this happened for me. Part of the reason I'm having difficulty in assessing either of these things is that this novel is not self-contained. It is the first book in an epic series. My use of epic here is defined as: the whole must be read to understand its parts. This creates and unfortunate catch-22; by forcing the reader to read all three novels before deciding whether they liked it eliminates those like me who know nothing of the period and haven't found anything to encourage them to continue.

I will say though, that I am now educated in certain traditions and aspects of Egyptian culture and also the conflicts between them and the ruling Setiu. Perhaps the rigidity of these traditions is why I felt the characters stiff and unappealing, which for someone more familiar with the era might find in perfect keeping. Despite all this, and the unlikelihood that I'll continue with the series, is the lack of delineation between the narrative and a characters thoughts. There was no change in text, font or paragraph; nothing at all to suggest that there was a shift in point of view. As a result I found the read a bit of a chore as I, the reader, had to work at making the story flow, a job I have always assumed was up to the author.

Having said all that, if this is an area of interest, I think the overall trilogy could be quite good. The concept of the story is interesting, and if the pace of the last 60 pages or so continues in the following instalments, then I think even perhaps a winner.

Review originally posted at the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.