Things Bright and Beautiful - Anbara Salam

Mission House was not built for three people. Especially when one of them won't stop humming.

1954, the South Pacific islands. When Beatriz Hanlon agreed to accompany her missionary husband Max to a remote island, she knew there would be challenges. But it isn't just the heat and the damp and the dirt. There are more insects than she could ever have imagined, and the islanders are strangely hostile. And then there are the awful noises coming from the church at night.

Yet as the months go by, Bea slowly grows accustomed to life on the island. That is until an unexpected and interminably humming guest arrives, and the couple's claustrophobic existence is stretched to breaking point.

Events draw to a terrible climax, and Bea watches helplessly as her husband's guilt drives him into madness. It's not long before Bea finds herself fighting for her freedom and her life.

It was a totally immersive and claustrophobic read throughout. Max and Bea have arrived in the New Hebrides, just a few years after the end of WW2. They are far away from their home in America, their accommodation is not much more than a shack. Their possessions have not arrived and food is limited. Max has followed his calling as a missionary and has brought his wife. They have hardly moved in when Marietta, the former missionary, bustles in and settles her objectionable rump into their confined living accommodation, upsetting the marital equilibrium.

Gradually they become aware of rumblings of unrest, forces at work in the jungle and a visceral feel starts to envelop the community – plantation workers are escaping, devil chasers are crawling out of the decaying woodwork and Max is struggling to keep his sanity. Bea however finds solace at times in the taxing environment, “the treacly mildew of the jungle” is like a siren, and syphons her resolve; she acquiesces to its clarion call.

But it gets too much too soon for the Pastor and he descends into a hell of his own. Those trees get darker and more dense, the island even more remote and cut off from reality. Delirium is his only companion before too long. This growing madness and spiral into hell on earth was sometimes difficult to read and when mention of the humming started, I felt myself getting as annoyed and frustrated as the characters. I swear I could feel those bugs creeping over me as I read.

I enjoyed the mixing of cultures and religions and Bea finding herself was enjoyable to watch. The end took me by surprise, coming totally out of left field. It left me sitting holding my book stunned and shocked, it was excellent. I also loved Bea's friendship and hardening to Jungle life. I would have liked to find more about Bea's past that was hinted at in little tit bits through out the book, might have added to our understanding of her character but it did add to the sense of isolation so maybe it was on purpose. 

The story does, however, get a little engulfed at times by the pervasive setting  and on occasion can make it a little heavy going. For me, the balance of story and setting wasn’t quite right. I found the book slow going. The writing, however, is astounding and I can' wait to see what the author will write next. 

Age Rating 16+. Some heavy subject matter and adult content.