''Forsaken'' is a 2016 historical fiction novel that was written by Ross Howell Jr. It was first published in hardback on February 1, 2016, through

NewSouth Books NewSouth Books is an independent publishing house founded in 2000 in Montgomery, Alabama, by editor H. Randall Williams and publisher Suzanne La Rosa. Williams was the founder of Black Belt Press, working there from 1986 to 1999, and La Rosa wor ...

and is based on the true story of

Virginia Christian Virginia Christian (August 15, 1895 – August 16, 1912) was the first female criminal executed in the 20th century in the state of Virginia, and a juvenile offender executed in the United States. She was also the only female juvenile executed by ...

, a black teenage maid who was the first woman executed in the 20th century in the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Synopsis

The book is narrated by Charles Mears, an eighteen-year-old reporter covering the trial of Virginia Christian, who is accused of murdering her employer Ida Belote, for whom Christian worked as a maid. Belote was terribly cruel and abusive towards Christian, which culminated in a physical altercation between the two that resulted in Christian striking her boss. She stuffed cloth in her boss's mouth to muffle her screams and avoid detection, as physically harming her boss would result in severe repercussions for Christian, only for this to end up killing Belote. Mears believes that Christian deserves clemency and tries to argue for this from

William Hodges Mann William Hodges Mann (July 30, 1843 – December 12, 1927) was an American lawyer, Confederate soldier and Democratic politician who became the first judge of Nottoway County, Virginia and the last Confederate veteran to serve as the Governor of ...

, who is currently serving as Virginia's governor. He's unsuccessful and Christian is executed, but Mears' defense of the teen has provoked the ire of white supremacists that continually issue threats against the reporter. During all of this Mears also tries to protect Belote's two young daughters, one of whom is being sexually abused by her appointed guardian.

Reception

The ''

Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatc ...

'' praised Howell Jr.'s research for the novel, which they felt "paid handsomely in this strikingly affecting novel." The ''Montgomery Advisor'' commented that the book's "fully imagined scenes, characters and themes resonate surprisingly in the supposedly more enlightened world of 2016" and that the "novel's ending may be a bit pat, but readers won't begrudge Howell the hopeful finale." ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' also reviewed the work, which they found "harrowing".

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.rosshowelljr.com/novel/
Forsaken: The Digital Bibliography
at

Virginia Memory The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...

2016 American novels Novels set in the historical United States American historical novels Novels set in Virginia