Book of Obeah, The by Sandra Carrington-Smith  © 2010  O Books
Publishing    ISBN: 978-1-84694-299-0   Paperback       312 pages       $22.95
(U.S.)          www.o-books.net

This is a novel of Louisiana Voodoo, or is it Obeah, or maybe Santeria…
there is a blending here.  As a child of Agayu I found many familiar
aspects of the religion as related through the characters.  I’m not
sure how accurate the Voodoo aspects are, since I am not a follower of
that path.  Voodoo and Santeria are extremely syncretistic so I would
expect both similarities and differences to occur between them.

Of course, being a novel there is no glaring need for accuracy.  The
purpose is to entertain, not to enlighten.  Still, it is nice when
Hollywood is sent packing and reality is invited to the table.  One
also needs to be able to believe in, and care about, the characters,
and Ms. Carrington-Smith has crafted a heroine who seems as familiar
as your next door neighbor while still retaining a certain air of
mystery.

I have been encountering a lot of novels set in the deep South.  It
seems to have replaced New England as the preferred setting for tales
of mystery and the supernatural.  Although I have no personal
experience or roots there, my wife’s family has them, and I have had
the pleasure of hearing about them.

One of the disadvantages of being familiar with a number of the
aspects of African-derived religion is that I found myself having to
remember that it was only a novel, and that deviating from what I had
learned and experienced were not major stumbling points for the
average reader – characters involved in Voodoo using Santeria names
for the deities being one big one for me.

The skeins that make up this story are intertwined and interwoven in
such a dense pattern that the reader needs to pay close attention in
order to keep it all in order.  The center of attention is a book. It
is possessed by one family and sought after by others – as well the
Roman Catholic Church – for a variety of reasons ranging from
beneficent to who knows what?  It is rumored that the book contains
great power, but whether that power resides in the books itself, the
words within, or something else is not at all clear.

Scattered throughout this gripping, well-written novel are truths that
are simply presented.  They apply no matter what your religious
beliefs.  And they will make your life better, even if only in small
ways, once they have made their way into your subconscious mind.

Arriving at the end of the roller coaster events, many loose ends are
tied off, and explanations offered.  But the problem is that the
answers provoke more questions, leading to more loose ends, leading to…
another story to be told?  I would like to think so.