Talk about your crossover books. Lamentation, by C.J. Sansom, is a historical fiction mystery, though admittedly that’s a sub-genre that has gained significant popularity in recent years. It’s a new genre to me, however, which is precisely why I chose it. Lamentation is the sixth book in the “Shardlake Mysteries” series, but there’s no real barrier to starting there. No previous knowledge is required, and whatever is important to the current story is provided as you go.
Matthew Shardlake is a hunchbacked lawyer during the reign of Henry VIII. He’s also been noticed by some of the top people of the realm; Thomas Cromwell, Archibishop Cranmer and, lately, Queen Catherine Parr, Henry’s last wife. This is not the safe and sane path to a comfortable retirement, mind you. Powerful people have powerful enemies, and people like Shardlake are but pawns, useful and expendible.
The year is 1546, and England is caught up in religious turmoil. The Traditionalists–those supporting a return to Catholicism, or at least preservation of as much of it in the Church of England as possible–are pitted against the Reformists, looking to depart further from the Church in Rome. The Reformists, however, run the gamut from the cautious, slow reformers to the wildly radical Anabaptists, who want to overthrow the aristocracy and create an egalitarian society.
Shardlake is an agnostic, but his sympathies lay with the Reformers–most notably Catherine Parr, whom he admires, even loves (without hope, of course). This does not endear him to the Traditionalists, many of which he has crossed paths with before and made bitter enemies. He’s even annoyed King Henry previously, as well. But amid all this comes an urgent request from Queen Catherine and her uncle, Lord Parr. She has secretly written a book with radical overtones. And it has been stolen. Anne Askew, radical reformer and heretic, has just been burned at the stake (a rather gruesome business), and the queen’s enemies wouldn’t mind the same fate for her.
It’s up to Shardlake to ferret out who stole the manuscript and return it safely to the queen, but it’s no easy task. It becomes clear early on that he’s dealing with several different factions, but who is who, and which has the manuscript? It’s a high-stakes game and a dangerous one, and Shardlake is hardly the dashing, slashing hero. He needs to protection of friends, but he is continually torn between keeping them out of it and protecting his own hide. To make matters worse, he has difficulties among his own household servants, and a rather nasty case he’s involved in between two feuding siblings that could spiral out of control.
C. J. Sansom is a historian and solicitor (lawyer), and pays great attention to detail, both in setting and in plot. Much of what happens in the novel is real. Catherine Parr did write a book titled “Lamentations of a Sinner”, and Anne Askew’s manuscript, smuggled out of the Tower of London, was printed by radical sympathizers. Sansom’s talent is fitting his story into the gaps. There’s no indication that “Lamentation” was ever stolen, but there’s no evidence it wasn’t, either. We know there was a signficant power struggle between the Traditionalists and the Reformists during this time, and we know who won. Sansom’s story fills in the gaps with a credible scenario.
It was a dangerous time to live in England. When asked what one believed religiously, the only “right” answer was “Whatever the King decrees.” (And Henry was back and forther on that issue.) Even speculating aloud how long the king might still live was considered treason. Questioning whether the blood and body of Christ were indeed present in the mass was heresy. Incessant war with France had drained the public coffers, devalued the currency, and driven up taxes. The English economy was on the verge of collapse, and the commoners bore the brunt of it.
Lamentation is an enjoyable novel, and a lesson in history at the same time. There’s even a lengthy author’s afterword in which he discusses what is true and what is speculation in his book, as well as providing even more background on the period and the major players. The book is quite frank in its depictions of the conditions in England and the environment our heroes operate within. It’s quite clear early on that Shardlake and his opponents are playing for keeps. The suspense is palpable.
I enjoyed this book, and I may try out some of Sansom’s other novels some day. If you’re the type of person who likes history, but also enjoys a good story more than recitations of facts and details, this is the right brand of historical fiction. It’s an engaging story, set in a well-rendered backdrop of real history. Good stuff!