Caleb's Crossing

I quite enjoyed Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks but not as much as I'd anticipated. Set in mid-17th century Massachusetts area, it is a fictional story based around Caleb, who was actually the first native American to graduate from Harvard. The story is told by "Bethia" a fictional character who meets Caleb as a child and encourages him to read and write. Caleb epitomises the clash of cultures as he is torn between two worlds. The English gradually take over with a particularly severe brand of "Christianity" which has serious consequences for everyone. The tragedy of loss of land and culture so common with colonisation is played out in this story. 4/5