The Clouds Beneath The Sun: A Novel (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Rarely does a novel live up to its pre-publication hype. But Mackenzie Ford’s “Clouds Beneath the Sun” (Doubleday, 2009) does just that.Crisp and compelling, this 448-page novel set in pre-independent Kenya is a skillful weft of history, archeology and paleontology, religion, passion and murder. The story plays out amid the powerful clash of modern and ancient cultures and the feral beauty of the Serengeti.A newly minted Cambridge PhD, Natalie Nelson arrives on her first dig in Kenya’s Kihara Gorge with enough skeletons in her family closet to choke a mule train. She becomes entangled with the Deacons, whose matriarch, Eleanor, heads the digging expedition, and Eleanor’s sons Christopher and Jack, whose epic sibling rivalry spills over into tragedy. When two over zealous members of the expedition uncover a knee joint, Natalie recommends a comparison to modern bones to determine age before they publish their findings. In a hurry to scoop the archaeological world on what appears to be a major find, Russell and Richard desecrate a Maasi burial ground to locate otherwise elusive “modern bones” for comparison. The situation deteriorates rapidly. Natalie finds Richard hacked to death by machete and recalls seeing a black Maasi staff member appearing to flee the scene the night of the crime. She’s called to “give evidence” after an arrest is made and a trial scheduled. Thrown in to a simmering cauldron of racial, political, cultural, and familial tension, the pressure’s on for Natalie to either back down or change her story. Added to the mix are threatening relatives, potential loss of funds for the dig, sun stroke, dangerous animals and even more dangerous Maasi, political posturing, courtroom drama, love triangles, beautiful country, and illness. Also a wildebeest stampede, heat, dust, and more threats. Ford’s characters, dialogue and plot are so vivid and three-dimensional, you can almost taste the roast chicken dinners, knock back Natalie’s whiskey nightcaps, and smell the after-dinner campfire smoke.Ford masterfully rolls out a rising line of tension, romance, and social upheaval while avoiding sanctimonious sermonizing. Taut and engaging, “Clouds” zooms out of the sky and provides a satisfying panorama of Kenyan places, people and culture like Jack Deacon’s Comanche plane buzzing Ngorongoro Crater. Two thumbs up. I have to say I agree with all the 1 and 2 stars. This book started out as a 5 star and quickly kept diminishing. The last chapter, as one reviewer put it, made it (for me) a negative star. Bad, bad, no point writing. Like Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas--I ask you, why bother? Stilted characters inlcuding evil (in Christopher) that is hard to believe and left flat except for obnoxious behaviors, vengeance and unreasonableness in Russel that was painful to read (it was too sharp and extreme--no sympathy/connection was built for the character and the potential was there), a very lifeless and loveless love with Jack. The "love" affair could not have been any more unemotional.The one character who started out as badly as the rest but did come to at least a hint of growth/redemption was Natalie's father--but we all know where that went. Elenore also had some good developments, but, again... to what point?This could have been an awesome book. It wasn't.
What do You think about The Clouds Beneath The Sun: A Novel (2010)?
I won this book from GoodreadsI will post a full review. Character, storyline, adventure.
—jordimak
I won this book from the First Reads giveaway!
—Teambreezy
It was tough to slog through this soap opera.
—Georgina
