A Dark Iris

by Elizabeth J. Jones

It is 1972 and 12-Year-old Rebekah Eve is excited to be on her way to the prestigious Meridian Institute with her best friend, Wanda. But Rebekah’s joy is dampened by her parents’ separation. She misses having her father at home and the fun things they did together. Most of all, she dislikes her mother’s new ‘friend’ – Thomas Forster – who is trying way too hard to win her over. These personal changes take place while her country, goes through dramatic changes of its own, and life gets even more complicated when her new friend Zende is arrested for the attempted assassination of the Governor.

To cope, Rebekah turns to her art. But her paintings take on new, or rather ‘old’ life, as figures from the past seep in and replace her usual subjects. She is thrust into a whirlwind of emotion as her visions and the resulting paintings unveil wounds of the past that are not buried as deeply as some would like. With help from the mysterious Lady of the Library and her new art tutor Mr. Stowe, Rebekah makes sense of these visions and unearths the truth behind one of Bermuda’s legends. But some truths are difficult for anyone, especially a young girl, to digest. Ultimately, she must learn to trust herself, believe in her talents, and that even a little black girl from a small island, could one day become a famous artist.

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2019

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as Elizabeth J. Jones

Reviews

[GE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this book that I have recommended it to many of my friends and customers who have also said they enjoyed it. For me it was definitely worth the read and I didn't want it to end.

[Kim Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Entertaining and interesting all the way through. Really enjoyed learning about some of Bermuda’s history that is intertwined in the story. When is the next one coming out?

[Gail (The Knight Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DARK IRIS starts unassumingly. We meet 13 year old Rebekah Eve, a budding artist and scholar awaiting the results of her admission examination to enter the prestigious Meridian Institute in Bermuda. We soon realize that Rebekah is no ordinary artist. She is indeed gifted at her craft, but concomitantly exposed to visions of her country’s past which she sees play out before her, and which she transcibes to her art pad. Rebekah is perplexed but we soon realize she is seeing a part of history that may not have played out the same way to the general public. We soon realize that these historical events as seen through Rebekah’s visions may play an important role in explaining some of the island’s greatest historical events, in this case the trial and death of a real life figure, Sally Bassett.

Jones intersperses Rebekah’s visions with other cultural issues and strains. We tumble down a rabbit hole where we learn about assainations, racism, gender inequalities, and slavery, while completely wrapped up in this centuries old murder mystery revolving around Sally Bassett and her grand daughter Beck. Jones makes it clear that this was her reimagining of the story of Sally, and for me giving Sally and other slaves a voice they may not have had the option of vocalizing.

I found this type of retelling so interesting. As one who isn’t fond of too much history because of its ability to bog me down and overwhelm, I found this story a great way to pluck at history without making it seem too dense. It definitely made me curious about Sally which led me down the path of researching other stories of similar significance. My appreciation for the past grew and I admit, it is so important not to forget these persons and what they went through.

I’ve tried to paint an Iris that Rebekah would be proud of, but I’m not quite there yet. There is something missing. Maybe that’s how Sally’s story felt to the author and why she penned these words. But I’m inspired to paint and get it right. It will just take time to “see” the flower as Rebekah did.

From a simple Wiki search we are afforded this excerpt: “Sally Bassett's notorious act and the burning of her live body became a part of the islands' folklore and local history. Legend says that when the remains of the stake was cleared, a purple flower was found growing from her ashes; before her death Sally had declared that there would be a sign that she was guiltless and today the flower blooms across Bermuda.” And isn’t she lovely?

[Cindy]

Very lovingly reminder to review written history with the understanding that it is written by the ruling group, but all there historical events have more than one perspective. The main character struggles but finds her calling; culling through teenage angst and parental separation with the assistance of those wise adults guiding children in her community. Great story teaching "perspective".