Life in the Mississippi delta circa the late 1940s was not an easy one - especially for the McAllan and Jackson families. The Jacksons are sharecroppers on farm property recently purchased by the McAllans. There is a symbiotic relationship between the families - they need each other to survive. Farming in the delta is a harsh life for Laura McAllan who is college educated and used to more genteel surroundings. World War II has just ended and prejudice (between the races, between the sexes, between the classes) is abundant in the delta. The Jackson's oldest son, Ronsel, returns home after fighting on the German front only to find the war of prejudice he left behind still raging. Ronsel and his family come to realize that sometimes we simply have to fight against injustice and that sometimes, we have to do something "wrong" to make things right.
Hillary Jordan creates memorable characters that are very believable and transforms their individual stories into something larger than themselves. It is a bittersweet tale about the human condition and our capacity to love and to hate. It is about the transforming power of love and as Laura tells us in the second chapter, "The truth isn't so simple. Death may be inevitable, but love is not. Love, you have to choose". We have the power of free will to choose how to live our lives - whether to hate or to love, to fight or walk away, to cheat or be faithful. Part of the human condition is making those choices and living (or dying) with them.
I personally enjoy hearing the same story told from different viewpoints and thought that Hillary Jordan used this convention very successfully. Each of the characters has a distinct and interesting voice- I looked forward to hearing from every one of them. I found Mudbound to be a compelling read and highly recommend it for a great book club discussion.
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