Map of Bones by Kate Mosse
Map of Bones by Kate Mosse
No word, no story, no grave . . .
1688. Olifantshoek, Southern Africa. Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, journeys to the Cape of Good Hope in search of her notorious cousin, Louise Reydon-Joubert, who vanished without trace half a century ago.
1862. Franschhoek, Southern Africa. Nearly six generations later, Isabelle Joubert Lepard follows in her footsteps, determined to investigate the lives of her ancestors – and to honour their memory – only to discover that the evils of the past, though hidden, are far from buried. And that her life, too, is under threat . . .
Review
The Map of Bones is the fourth and final instalment in the Joubert Family Chronicles series and we meet Suzanne Joubert, a Huguenot refugee from war-torn France, who arrives in South Africa in 1688 hoping to find out what happened to her ancestor, Louise Reydon-Joubert, the notorious she-captain and pirate commander, landed at the Cape of Good Hope more than sixty years ago. Suzanne’s search for Louise takes her into the dark interior of Africa where the indigenous natives are becoming increasingly resentful at the ever growing numbers of white people taking their ancestral lands. However, Suzanne has to take this perilous journey if she is ever to discover what happened to Louise and her companion, Gilles, who disappeared without a trace. When Suzanne meets a relative in the unlikeliest of places, she is given a journal that reveals some of the truth. However, Suzanne is shipwrecked when she decides to return to Europe and the story moves ahead to the nineteenth century.
In 1862, Isabelle Lepard travels to the small town once known as Olifantshoek in search of her long-lost relations so she can record the part her female ancestors played in history and preserve them for future generations. Isabelle’s arrival brings us full circle to the beginning of the first book, The Burning Chambers, where she was being held hostage in a homestead by a crazy distant cousin who believes she is there to steal his inheritance. Isabelle is rescued by her captor’s brother who reveals the tragedy that befell Louise and Gilles that led to his family’s very existence in South Africa.
It has been quite a journey over the four books chronicling the different generations of the Joubert family, but this last book was a disappointment as the second half featuring Isabelle seemed nothing more than a retread of Suzanne’s quest. When Suzanne is given Louise’s diary, she doesn’t reveal much to the reader before deciding her future lies back in Europe where she is soon caught in a shipwreck off the coast of Cornwall. While Suzanne is one of the few survivors, her story abruptly ends here and it is the turn of her descendant, Isabelle, who wants to write a book about the strong Joubert women. Sadly, Isabelle’s adventures are nowhere near as enticing as Suzanne’s and she is also a weaker character.
The real stand out feature of the book is how Mosse manages to capture the feel of South Africa from two different timeline perspective. During Suzanne’s visit, the colony is a very rough place to live and Mosse captures the tensions between the different races very well. The danger escalates when Suzanne ventures into the interior where she is at risk from the natives, wildlife and other environmental factors. However, Suzanne cultivates interesting relationships with colonists, as well as the natives, which ends up being wasted when she leaves South Africa. I would have liked to have seen Suzanne stay to witness the growth of the Huguenot families. Mosse tells us a lot about the history of the Huguenots in South Africa and it certainly feels that there was room for so much more.
All in all, the first two books in the series remain my favourite and part of me wishes the entire series had remained with Minou and her family as they negotiated the religious wars.
