Marcus Atkinson
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Written by Avery L.
Sutton, I would consider Out of Ashes a rare breed, combined
with a must read. This novel blends factual historical events with
fictional characters in a way which makes it easy to get lost in reality.
Few authors along can do this, but to have this done in the background of Jim
Crow Birmingham Alabama in 1963 makes it not only unique.
As a person who loves
history and studies the civil rights era, I was captivated by how Sutton ties
in real historical events with the fictional day to day lives of the
characters. Bombings in Birmingham, political news from then President
Kennedy all were part of the lives of Peg, Dr. Carson and
others.
Characters developed
in a way which seemed natural and realistic. In today’s readings, too
many times protagonist and antagonist are static – that is they have little to
no character development. This is often a choice by the author to keep
the character simple and easy for the reader to follow along, but Sutton allows
his characters to evolve, change in a way that while reading you are unsure if
it is for the better, or for the worse.
Like any good book,
the story is compelling, suspenseful and a definite page turner. It’s not
hard to become lost within the pages and begin to attempt to predict what is
going to happen next.
And what does happen
next is both surprising and at least in my case, fulfilling. The natural
progression of the novel is obviously meticulous and calculated. It’s not
hard to see why Avery L. Sutton’s Out of Ashes has been read
and enjoyed by so many, including myself.
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