What do you think?
Rate this book
Small Treasons
With writing that is both devastating and tender, Mark Powell brings his acclaimed eye to an American marriage on the verge of rupture, spinning an all-too-current tale of the world we live in and the world we fear—and how we may not be able to tell the two apart.
Tess Maynard is coming apart. At home with her three young children in her husband’s Georgia hometown, people keep asking if she’s depressed, if she and John are okay.
Secretly, she’s becoming obsessed with the war on terror—an ISIS beheading video in particular. Something about the victim’s captivity on the computer screen resonates with her. Something inside of her demands endless prayers for a world gone mad.
The carefully constructed life of her husband is likewise beginning to unravel. Now a college counselor, John’s former life bears persistently into the present. Once a contractor at a CIA black site that interrogated suspected terrorists—and one innocent civilian—he is given a choice by the Justice Department: either help with a problem in the homeland, or they investigate.
Forced by an old colleague to spy on a new one, John’s experiences abroad come home to roost in Georgia. For his wife, for his family, he goes along with the game. But just as he and Tess work to salvage their life together, the world comes between them in the form of a young man slowly being radicalized by the professor John is reporting on.
In a moment Tess imagined and never wanted to see, the intersection of their three lives is as devastating as the bomber’s explosion of hate and metal, and as inevitable as the battle between powers great and personal.
Tess Maynard is coming apart. At home with her three young children in her husband’s Georgia hometown, people keep asking if she’s depressed, if she and John are okay.
Secretly, she’s becoming obsessed with the war on terror—an ISIS beheading video in particular. Something about the victim’s captivity on the computer screen resonates with her. Something inside of her demands endless prayers for a world gone mad.
The carefully constructed life of her husband is likewise beginning to unravel. Now a college counselor, John’s former life bears persistently into the present. Once a contractor at a CIA black site that interrogated suspected terrorists—and one innocent civilian—he is given a choice by the Justice Department: either help with a problem in the homeland, or they investigate.
Forced by an old colleague to spy on a new one, John’s experiences abroad come home to roost in Georgia. For his wife, for his family, he goes along with the game. But just as he and Tess work to salvage their life together, the world comes between them in the form of a young man slowly being radicalized by the professor John is reporting on.
In a moment Tess imagined and never wanted to see, the intersection of their three lives is as devastating as the bomber’s explosion of hate and metal, and as inevitable as the battle between powers great and personal.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2017
25 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
Mark Powell
11 books56 followersMark Powell is the author of six novels. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences, and in 2014 was a Fulbright Fellow to Slovakia. In 2009, he received the Chaffin Award for contributions to Appalachian literature. He holds degrees from Yale Divinity School, the University of South Carolina, and The Citadel. He lives in the mountains of North Carolina, where he teaches at Appalachian State University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 25, 2017
A brilliant novelist at the top of his game. Small Treasons achieves that rare balance between complexity and pacing, a story rich and intricate, propulsive and satisfying. Mark Powell has been the South’s best-kept secret for far too long.
May 26, 2017
Tess is the mother of three children and while she loves being home with them, she’s developed a very odd obsession. She can’t stop watching online terrorist ransom videos. She gets up in the middle of the night to watch them, particularly one she refers to as “The Man in the Basement”, an American journalist held by ISIS.
Her husband John, now a professor at a small college, has a bit of an obsession, too, his being with the past. He can’t shake an incident that happened at his previous job and he still mourns his dead first wife and his grown daughter who he hasn’t seen or talked to in many years. James Stone, a man John worked with at his old job, is pressuring him to turn over files of another professor, Professor Edward Hadawi. The FBI is investigating Professor Hadawi in connection with an extremist religious group. If John doesn’t turn the files over, James Stone is threatening to bring to light what happened at John’s previous job.
Stone is not only looking for Professor Hadawi but also for a young man named Reed Sharma. Reed is being groomed to be a terrorist bomber. The growing connections between Tess, John, James Stone and Reed Sharma make up the backbone of this compelling novel.
This is a very suspenseful political thriller and very well-written. The characters are very well developed and I cared about them all. The most disturbing section was watching how Reed Sharma is convinced that becoming a terrorist bomber has great meaning. It’s a chilling section and very disturbing. The author smoothly moves between the interconnected stories – from Reed’s transformation to the personal issues in Tess and John’s marriage to the political undertakings. It’s a wonderfully written timely novel about obsession, faith and violence amidst our current political climate. There were sections that moved a bit slowly but three quarters of the way in, there was no stopping this story. The suspense in the last quarter of the book was quite nerve wracking. I’ll definitely be looking for more of this author’s work.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
Her husband John, now a professor at a small college, has a bit of an obsession, too, his being with the past. He can’t shake an incident that happened at his previous job and he still mourns his dead first wife and his grown daughter who he hasn’t seen or talked to in many years. James Stone, a man John worked with at his old job, is pressuring him to turn over files of another professor, Professor Edward Hadawi. The FBI is investigating Professor Hadawi in connection with an extremist religious group. If John doesn’t turn the files over, James Stone is threatening to bring to light what happened at John’s previous job.
Stone is not only looking for Professor Hadawi but also for a young man named Reed Sharma. Reed is being groomed to be a terrorist bomber. The growing connections between Tess, John, James Stone and Reed Sharma make up the backbone of this compelling novel.
This is a very suspenseful political thriller and very well-written. The characters are very well developed and I cared about them all. The most disturbing section was watching how Reed Sharma is convinced that becoming a terrorist bomber has great meaning. It’s a chilling section and very disturbing. The author smoothly moves between the interconnected stories – from Reed’s transformation to the personal issues in Tess and John’s marriage to the political undertakings. It’s a wonderfully written timely novel about obsession, faith and violence amidst our current political climate. There were sections that moved a bit slowly but three quarters of the way in, there was no stopping this story. The suspense in the last quarter of the book was quite nerve wracking. I’ll definitely be looking for more of this author’s work.
Recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
February 7, 2017
Powell's best book. Real insight in the contemporary American paradox of guilt and faith.
March 19, 2017
Wow! What a fascinating and compelling story, told brilliantly in the exquisite prose that we've come to expect from Mark Powell. There's a perfect mix of intellectual intensity, philosophical musings and plot lines of divergent stories that Powell brings together for a epiphanic and surprising climax. I wonder if Powell's overriding theme is the unfortunate state of religious faith in our secular world of social media, global wars, and rising immorality that threatens the welfare and safety of our families. Whales use echolocation to find their way through the vast oceans and to keep the pod together using reflected sound waves. Similarly, humans used to rely on faith and religion to find their way to spiritual enlightenment and to help keep the family together. Hence, in these dark days, humanity has lost its way. Our faith and religiosity have atrophied like our ability to echolocate (interpret reflected sound). We have been distracted by "reflected light" instead of focusing on the true inner light. We have forgotten the message of the prophets and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. "God is a staircase that ascends to a place that isn't there, or isn't their yet." This quote from Israel's National Poet Yehuda Amichai resonates deeply late in the novel. In a world where situational ethics have infected our moral character and sullied our eternal soul, all we can do is beg for forgiveness and hope that Jacob's ladder as promised in Genesis still exists, that the covenant between God and man is still intact. Thus, the ending is an echo of the Lord's Prayer: forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Click, click, click...salvation and redemption are still possible...click, click, click..."the stairs are my faith, the stairs are my despair"...click, click, click.
I also noticed some intertextuality with Daphne Du Marier's Rebecca: the ghost of the dead first wife, the burning of the cabin/Mandalay, the husband's shadowy past. I didn't see any significant connection with the Greek mythology of Echo unless you equate her unrequited love of the selfish Narcissus to Tess's love of John---seems like a reach, though. I love novels that you can sink your teeth into like this. Thank you, Professor Powell for another damn good read!
I also noticed some intertextuality with Daphne Du Marier's Rebecca: the ghost of the dead first wife, the burning of the cabin/Mandalay, the husband's shadowy past. I didn't see any significant connection with the Greek mythology of Echo unless you equate her unrequited love of the selfish Narcissus to Tess's love of John---seems like a reach, though. I love novels that you can sink your teeth into like this. Thank you, Professor Powell for another damn good read!
August 8, 2018
The book attempts to convey a story of bored and morally suspect suburban inhabitants intersecting with the radicalization of a privileged young man. Although it puts forth a valiant effort of entering into the minds of both parties, the stereotypes and predictable storylines diminished any real hope of original thought. The one minority professor on a college campus in North Georgia: ISIS recruiter. A dissatisfied suburban housewife: Affinity for shopping, wine and track pants. The radicalized recruit: Anti-capitalist with a father as a reputable economist. A good beach read, I suppose.
January 29, 2018
I have complicated feelings about this book. Going to have to think about it.
July 15, 2017
3.5/5 this may change.... I still need to process... but I balled my eyes out at the end!!!!
October 5, 2017
Mark Powell’s latest novel, Small Treasons, examines a number of the tragedies and obstacles that particularly face us in these uncertain times. But also, as with the best of literature, Powell is exploring some of the most universal questions of humanity. Perhaps the central question of this book is about forgiveness. Forgiveness of others, and more importantly, forgiveness of ourselves.
At the heart of this question is John Maynard, man whose past blocks him from having genuine relationships with his parents, his children and even his wife. His wife, Tess, has a secret also. She has become obsessed with videos ISIS beheadings. And then there is Reed Sharma, one of Powell’s most complex characters: a young, would-be jihadist searching for something truthful, something more meaningful than those things that satisfy most young Americans, but unable to discern love from hate.
One of the strongest factors that keeps forgiveness at bay is the distance that builds between us and others. Powell wrote an essay for Authors ‘Round The South about Don DeLillo’s book Players and how that book and the idea of distance inspired Small Treasons: http://authorsroundthesouth.com/90-th....
I’ve read all of Mark Powell’s novels, falling in love along the way with all of them. There are lines and images from each one that stick with me, and even more so, there are life-shattering questions and explorations from each book that haunt me. Possibly to Powell’s own detriment, he is able to see the ever-moving mechanics of our modern world, all of the forces working with and against each other. To our great fortune, Powell is able to use that knowledge to write a book like Small Treasons, both beautiful and tragic.
At the heart of this question is John Maynard, man whose past blocks him from having genuine relationships with his parents, his children and even his wife. His wife, Tess, has a secret also. She has become obsessed with videos ISIS beheadings. And then there is Reed Sharma, one of Powell’s most complex characters: a young, would-be jihadist searching for something truthful, something more meaningful than those things that satisfy most young Americans, but unable to discern love from hate.
One of the strongest factors that keeps forgiveness at bay is the distance that builds between us and others. Powell wrote an essay for Authors ‘Round The South about Don DeLillo’s book Players and how that book and the idea of distance inspired Small Treasons: http://authorsroundthesouth.com/90-th....
I’ve read all of Mark Powell’s novels, falling in love along the way with all of them. There are lines and images from each one that stick with me, and even more so, there are life-shattering questions and explorations from each book that haunt me. Possibly to Powell’s own detriment, he is able to see the ever-moving mechanics of our modern world, all of the forces working with and against each other. To our great fortune, Powell is able to use that knowledge to write a book like Small Treasons, both beautiful and tragic.
May 12, 2018
Incredibly disappointing. Came highly recommended with lavish praise like "this is a magnificent writer at the top of his game." What? This book is littered with terrible stereotypes about Muslims (the *one* Muslim professor on the liberal white campus turns out to be an ISIS recruiter? Really?); the author can't write a female character to save his ass (she's a *nursing mother* whose husband, at night, "stroked her nipple for what seemed hours" - has this guy ever MET a nursing mom?); and then there's the just plain bad writing: "Crossing the intersection without a care in the world was Professor Edward Hadawi. And damn if he didn't appear to be in quite the hurry." OK so what is it, is he without a care in the world, or is he in a huge hurry? I'm so confused. I got as far as the sentence where the main character describes his father with the line "It wasn't racism, not exactly," and then I was done. Ugh. No thanks.
June 10, 2017
I read this book kinda slowly because I didn't want it to end. Powell's pacing, characterization, and careful plotting made this novel something to savor and turn over in your mind. Addressing each of us and our basest selves, the darkest parts of our humanity, this novel captures your attention from the beginning. The author skillfully weaves his reader through a mystery and the painful history of his characters as they each try to rebuild themselves after confronting and living their darkest selves.
Mark Powell is a superb author and I look forward to his future works!
I received a galley of the novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Mark Powell is a superb author and I look forward to his future works!
I received a galley of the novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2017
This is not an easy book. It raises questions about how the US war on terror has impacted those who we think are beyond its reach. The basic premise is flawed (the files issue) but this is still worth reading. Tess, John, Edward, and Reed are all believable characters; all of them have ethical, philosophical, and personal challenges. You won't agree with everything they do or think but this book will make you think. The ending (no spoilers) is both expected and not. What's most clear is that nothing is clear cut. It's beautifully written and carefully plotted. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC.
June 6, 2017
Powell is a magnificent writer. He can do beauty and brutality with equal power, and he can render an authentic portrayal of a young man’s radicalization and a couple whose marriage is splintering apart under the burden of grief and guilt and disconnection with exceptional elegance. Small Treasons is a great novel.
August 21, 2017
A realistic glimpse into terrorism and the technological world. Very well written and plotted; relatable characters and adequate pacing keeps things interesting.
July 17, 2017
I see the word, "terrifying," in most of the reviews of this book. I didn't feel terrified. I felt a little bored, like hearing my sister rant about theories of how the government is spying on us, telling us lies and misleading us. But I have to admit that perhaps these conspiracies she speaks of are not entirely theoretical. I am starting to have the queasy feeling that she is probably close to the truth, even though the word "truth" is currently undergoing ruination like the word "gay" already has. I think we all know that everything we do and say falls a little short of the truth. We know that we buy things we don't need. We know that we spend a lot of time and effort trying to avoid thinking. Some of us have been involved in war crimes, justified in our minds by the incompatibility of our Western ideology with the ideologies of others. We don't want to be hated for these things, and, as Americans, we are by many of the world's people. Small Treasons examines how our excesses and our excuses, and perhaps I can say, our sins, make all of us targets to those seeking a pure path through what we call religious extremism. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves come with some huge personal costs.
![Profile Image for Rei ⭐ [TrulyBooked].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1244675895i%2F2390727._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 15, 2017
At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this book or not. It was definitely compelling, but how would that fit into Goodreads' system where stars denote enjoyment of the book you'd read? Small Treasons isn't enjoyable exactly...
The writing is a joy to read, there's a fluidity of it that is breathtaking, but the subject matter and the people involved are what shifts this book away from "enjoyment". Don't get me wrong, Small Treasons isn't bad or anything close to bad. I am 100% recommending this novel to you.
But it is uncomfortable and it's meant to be.
This is an unflinching look at the radicalization of people in all the ways that people can be radicalized. From shifting toward racial tensions due to the media's representation of Muslims to the patriotic 'ends justify the means' mentality that gave torture the green light to immersing oneself into fundamentalist religious practice with the aim of seeking martyrdom.
Small Treasons is important because it makes us uncomfortable, shining a mirror on our own experiences and those of the people around us.
Read more reviews like this one @trulybooked.
The writing is a joy to read, there's a fluidity of it that is breathtaking, but the subject matter and the people involved are what shifts this book away from "enjoyment". Don't get me wrong, Small Treasons isn't bad or anything close to bad. I am 100% recommending this novel to you.
But it is uncomfortable and it's meant to be.
This is an unflinching look at the radicalization of people in all the ways that people can be radicalized. From shifting toward racial tensions due to the media's representation of Muslims to the patriotic 'ends justify the means' mentality that gave torture the green light to immersing oneself into fundamentalist religious practice with the aim of seeking martyrdom.
Small Treasons is important because it makes us uncomfortable, shining a mirror on our own experiences and those of the people around us.
Read more reviews like this one @trulybooked.
July 29, 2017
Mark Powell is a brilliant writer who develops a timely and compelling novel based upon America's obsession with Islamic terrorism and radicalization. He also develops flawed but realistic characters that have been shaped (for good and bad) by their life experiences and a believable and realistic depiction of a splintering marriage. None of the major characters are lovable or even likeable. However, the fact that the characters and their actions make the reader feel uncomfortable is a tribute to the author.
The novel is well plotted and diverse story lines are skillfully woven together but some events and depictions somewhat strain credulity. This book deals with an important topic, the prose is a joy to read, and the author has developed story lines and realistic characters. Story-lines and characters that make the reader think make Small Treasons a very enjoyable read. I recommend it!
The novel is well plotted and diverse story lines are skillfully woven together but some events and depictions somewhat strain credulity. This book deals with an important topic, the prose is a joy to read, and the author has developed story lines and realistic characters. Story-lines and characters that make the reader think make Small Treasons a very enjoyable read. I recommend it!
February 2, 2019
I had a really hard time with this book. I did enjoy the basic premise of exploring the early 2000s it zeitgeist, e.g. one of the characters watches the James Foley beheading video on repeat and is consistently anxious about (Islamic) terrorism ("man in the basement").
But... it then goes way over the top. The protagonist was literally a consulting psychologist for a CIA black prison site where they tortured a (probably) innocent person. Did... it have to be so blunt? Another character is a wannabe (Islamic) martyr. This & fairly basic sentence-level writing led to it being hard for me to engage with the work; most of the characters felt like they were checking some zeitgeist boxes as opposed to being fully fledged themselves.
But... it then goes way over the top. The protagonist was literally a consulting psychologist for a CIA black prison site where they tortured a (probably) innocent person. Did... it have to be so blunt? Another character is a wannabe (Islamic) martyr. This & fairly basic sentence-level writing led to it being hard for me to engage with the work; most of the characters felt like they were checking some zeitgeist boxes as opposed to being fully fledged themselves.
September 20, 2017
Disclosure 1: I received this book from a GoodReads giveaway.
Disclosure 2: I had wanted to read something by Mark Powell so I was very happy to have received a copy.
Quick and intense read. The character development was terrific and, as a reader, I could see where things were headed. But then everything swirled around and almost nothing was what I expected. The last hundred +\- pages flew by as if the story was accelerated into a fast-paced chase.
While there were a couple of times I did feel a little lost in what was happening, I found the book extremely well e characters were filled with compassion.
Might have to re-read, soon.
Disclosure 2: I had wanted to read something by Mark Powell so I was very happy to have received a copy.
Quick and intense read. The character development was terrific and, as a reader, I could see where things were headed. But then everything swirled around and almost nothing was what I expected. The last hundred +\- pages flew by as if the story was accelerated into a fast-paced chase.
While there were a couple of times I did feel a little lost in what was happening, I found the book extremely well e characters were filled with compassion.
Might have to re-read, soon.
December 19, 2017
I couldn’t finish this book, which says a lot about it. The perspective shifts got confusing and some chapters seemed to be written backwards.
The section from Reed’s POV is what I couldn’t get past. His character frustrated me to no end.
If and when I find the motivation to pick this up and finish it I will return and update. I do want to know what becomes of John and Tess, but obviously not enough to press forward at this point.
The section from Reed’s POV is what I couldn’t get past. His character frustrated me to no end.
If and when I find the motivation to pick this up and finish it I will return and update. I do want to know what becomes of John and Tess, but obviously not enough to press forward at this point.
September 15, 2018
I ended up loving this, though it took time getting to me. Honestly, I didn't quite get what it was going for until the book was about two-thirds over, which is rarely an auspicious sign. But eventually, I felt like it had something to say about live in the US in the 2010s, and the ways that comfort has become divorced from meaning. I'm not sure what I think of the ending, but I still think about it, which is a good sign.
June 16, 2019
I think if all the characters hadn't been completely unlikable messes, I would have enjoyed this novel more. I don't need every character to be a hero, and indeed some of my favorite characters in literature are unlikable (eg, Severus Snape, Heathcliff, Scarlett O'Hara, et al). However, when every single character in a novel is disaster of a human being, it starts to be a bit too grim even for me.
September 5, 2017
This sounds like a really good book, and all the reviews I saw are very positive about it, but I just could not get into it at all. Maybe I should have stuck with it and I might have changed my mind, but after several chapters I didn't like anything about the characters or the story and decided to just give up on it. Sorry.
June 30, 2018
I loved this book. The characters were complicated and introspective in a way that made them fascinating to read about. The socio-political commentary was bang on without seeming didactic. Powell really gives life to the expression the personal is political in this novel. It's a great snapshot of this particular moment in time, and an excellent character study.
September 13, 2017
I did manage to finish this book, but it took me a while. The story was all over the place. I found that challenging. The story was interesting and it did become a page turner at the end.
I would definitely recommend tit to someone else, they may see something in it that I did not.
I would definitely recommend tit to someone else, they may see something in it that I did not.
July 3, 2018
This story dealt with the after effects of participation in wars and terror- how those effects can branch to everything we touch and we never truly leave those effects behind. Difficult to read and to follow the plot at times
October 23, 2018
This is a 3.5 because I can't say it's a book I enjoyed because it is disturbing, it still is a great read. Sometimes when a book is too close to the daily reality, I can feel myself pulling back from it.
Still, well worth reading.
Still, well worth reading.
January 22, 2019
Abandoned after the first ten chapters, seventy pages.
The book didn't grab me, didn't pull me in. Potential, and plenty of positive reviews, but it just didn't call me back day after day to keep reading.
The book didn't grab me, didn't pull me in. Potential, and plenty of positive reviews, but it just didn't call me back day after day to keep reading.
August 31, 2025
This felt pretty unique and gripping in both the writing style and the topics. I really liked how with the split perspective each of the characters was dealing with their own journey and trauma, and it led to an interesting exploration of motivation, purpose, and indoctrination.
July 24, 2017
Very heavy read. Disturbing "truths" about today's world. Well written and holds the readers attention.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews