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josiegz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
"He was hanged the minute he put his hands on her."
It is January 1945, and Private Gabriel Hooper, a Black American soldier based at Pirnmill Aerodrome in Northern Ireland, faces a court martial after being falsely accused of raping a young white woman, Elspeth, with whom he has danced "The Vogue," at a dance hall near the airbase. Elspeth is a member of the sinister "Elected Brethren," a fundamentalist Christian sect based in the town of Morne, close to the airbase. Hooper, a projectionist at the aerodrome, is enamoured of all things flying; he dreams of meeting Charles Lindbergh and rebuilding the Wright Brothers' first airplane.
In The Vogue, the stories of Elspeth and Hooper intertwine with that of a trio of teenagers in 1972, as well as the story of Kay, a local librarian, Lily, who waits for her lost lover, and Cole, who says is a lawyer for the Ministry of Defense. Cole, whose movements are carefully monitored by the Brethren on closed-circuit TV cameras, shows up in 2000 in the bleak and icy town of Morne to investigate the discovery of the body of a woman found in a local sandpit.
At first, it's difficult to figure out who is who and why Cole is ruffling through records held in the library's damp basement, but as the narrative proceeds, each piece of this tragic puzzle slowly slips into place in ways that are eerie, haunting and compulsively readable.
It is January 1945, and Private Gabriel Hooper, a Black American soldier based at Pirnmill Aerodrome in Northern Ireland, faces a court martial after being falsely accused of raping a young white woman, Elspeth, with whom he has danced "The Vogue," at a dance hall near the airbase. Elspeth is a member of the sinister "Elected Brethren," a fundamentalist Christian sect based in the town of Morne, close to the airbase. Hooper, a projectionist at the aerodrome, is enamoured of all things flying; he dreams of meeting Charles Lindbergh and rebuilding the Wright Brothers' first airplane.
In The Vogue, the stories of Elspeth and Hooper intertwine with that of a trio of teenagers in 1972, as well as the story of Kay, a local librarian, Lily, who waits for her lost lover, and Cole, who says is a lawyer for the Ministry of Defense. Cole, whose movements are carefully monitored by the Brethren on closed-circuit TV cameras, shows up in 2000 in the bleak and icy town of Morne to investigate the discovery of the body of a woman found in a local sandpit.
At first, it's difficult to figure out who is who and why Cole is ruffling through records held in the library's damp basement, but as the narrative proceeds, each piece of this tragic puzzle slowly slips into place in ways that are eerie, haunting and compulsively readable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
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