Dublin, Ireland - Autumn, 1845. A young Irish boy, Nathan Whyte, whose life has been uneventful up to this point, is present at the arrival of a celebrity who has stepped off a boat that has just rolled into the harbour from the United States of America. This famous guest has recently achieved much renown (or notoriety, depending on the viewpoint) as an exemplary writer, and one of the greatest orators of his age - in an age of great oratory. At first confused, Nathan's curiosity is piqued as he slowly realises that this man - Frederick Douglass - the greatest voice of abolition of his day - whose talent for shattering ignorance is unique - entrances his audiences with his eloquence, dignity, sharp wit, and unparalleled public speaking skills.
However, what Douglass and Nathan have yet to discover is that in a very short period of time, Ireland - at the beginning of the Great Famine - through individual acts of compassion and by bearing witness, will have as much of a profound effect upon Douglass as Douglass is to have upon Ireland. And further, that through these events, both he and Nathan will be irrevocably transformed.
Precept is an important and often moving story, elegantly written. And a worthy debut novel from Matthew de Lacey Davidson.
Jill Murphy - TheBookBag
Author_Bio: Matthew de Lacey Davidson is the author of two poetry collections, Please Don't Forget Me, and What Souls Might Bear, a play in verse, What Really Counts, and a collection of short stories entitled, Roses in December. He has had poems and short stories published in Grammateion, and in the online literary journal, Danse Macabre. Davidson is also a composer and pianist and has released twelve compact discs. He lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with his wife, Shayna, and a plethora of Siamese and Tonkinese cats. Precept is his first novel.
Keywords: Frederick Douglass, Slavery, Civil War, Ireland, Oratory, Civil Rights, African American History, Historical Fiction, The Great Famine, Human Rights, Human Trafficking
