Andrea Barrett, a National Book Award winner for the story collection Ship Fever, once again navigates the wonders of science in Archangel--a magnificent book that explores five decisive moments in the lives of her characters that have an impact not only on them but also on the advancement of human knowledge.
"The Eclipse" is set during the summer of 1908, when 12-year-old Constantine Boyd is sent to live with an uncle who is an experimenter--with crops, motorized bicycles and an early aeroplane.
In "The Ether of Space," in 1920, a popular science writer and young widow struggles with the new theory of relativity. In "The Particles," several young men study genetics by observing fruit flies. A famous biologist struggles to keep his reputation intact in the eyes of his students as he fights against Darwin's theory of evolution in "The Island." In the last story, "Archangel," Constantine Boyd, a decade older, is now a young U.S. soldier in Russia, wondering about his government's intentions. A bomb blast drives a bone from his friend's body into his leg. What he does to get help is dangerous, foolhardy--and just might work.
Barrett combines fact and fiction in scenarios that bring the reader to a better understanding of the high cost, both personal and public, of scientific advances. For all that is gained, a great deal is lost: reputations, long-held beliefs, years of research. Her own scientific knowledge illuminates these complex questions and discoveries without sacrificing character or story. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.