The Visionist

July 8, 2013
Urquhart has written for Vogue and Allure, yet her debut historical novel features writing of a more restrained sort. Set in 1842 in a small enclave in Massachusetts called City of Hope, the slow-to-build narrative takes a jarring peek into the segregated Shaker way of life where the “wicked ways of the World” are shunned. Told from three disparate but oddly similar-sounding points of view—teenage Polly, who burned down the family farm to escape her father’s sexual abuse; Simon Pryor, a private investigator and “expert in incendiaries” hired to get to the bottom of the crime by a wealthy entrepreneur interested in the land; and Sister Charity, a particularly prim and self-effacing member of the covenant who watches over Polly after she and her brother are dumped there by their fleeing mother—conventional cultlike behavior and the espousing of Shaker beliefs (“flesh bonds are forged in the fires of carnal sin”) abounds. Though Polly’s christening as a “Visionist” soon brings notoriety to the community and Pryor’s ardent quest to uncover the truth about who set the blaze barrels closer to resolution, the temperature of the increasingly intertwined plot fails to rise above a simmer despite some well-placed twists. Think a cadre of easily provoked characters held back by unquestioning faith—but in need of Waco’s fireworks.

April 15, 2013
A historical novel set in 1840s Massachusetts intertwines the stories of a Shaker community, a world-weary fire inspector and a beleaguered farm family. Silas, a depraved drunken wastrel, has ruined the prosperous family farm once owned by his late father-in-law, who died suddenly and mysteriously. He wants to sell the land but must first get wife May out of the way. He makes the mistake of revealing his intent to teenage daughter Polly, whom he has been sexually abusing. Fearing for their lives, May, Polly and younger brother Ben (whom Silas had tried to drown in infancy) escape by night but not before Polly drops a lamp on the floor near the bed where her father lies in a stupor. Flames consume the farmhouse, but Polly thinks she sees Silas running into the yard as they flee. Miles away, May indentures her children to be raised by the Shakers, a celibate Christian community, and disappears. Simon, a private detective in the employ of (and, due to a tragic childhood incident, lifelong thrall to) Hurlbut, a wealthy bully, is sent to sift through the ashes. Suspecting foul play after he finds Silas' body some distance from the charred ruins, Simon reports the conflagration as accidental because a lengthy inquest would thwart Hurlbut's speedy acquisition of the property. Racked with guilt over her role in the fire, and cut off from Ben by the Shakers' strict segregation of the sexes, Polly finds comfort in the Shakers' carefully ordered, self-sustaining way of life and a form of kinship with her roommate, Sister Charity. When Polly, in a trance, summons imaginary angel companions, the community reveres her as a mystic or "Visionist." As Urquhart explores the various enslavements that bind all of the characters, Simon's investigation becomes a high-stakes race against time. The plot is burdened by too many narrators and too much Shaker minutia. Nevertheless, Urquhart's fine craftsmanship covers a multitude of sins. An impressive debut.

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August 1, 2013

This debut novel draws the reader into the strange and mystical world of the Shakers. Following a devastating fire, May Kimball indentures her two children, Ben and Polly, to a Shaker community in 1840s Massachusetts. While attempting to cover devastating secrets, Polly is revered as a "visionist," develops a close but uneasy friendship with Sister Charity, and draws the suspicion of Elder Sister Agnes. Meanwhile, a fire inspector with secrets of his own investigates the fire at the Kimball farm and gets drawn into the family's misfortunes. Urquhart's research provides fascinating details about Shaker beliefs and practices, and she deftly displays how human nature will break out even where attempts are made to suppress it in favor of a "pure" life. The alternating chapters involving Simon Pryor's investigation of the fire mesh somewhat uneasily with the rest of the story, as they impose a few too many plot contrivances on a story about the nature of faith and sin. VERDICT For historical fiction fans wanting to immerse themselves in a setting they may know little about, this novel fits the bill.--Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
Urquhart constructs this debut novel around a seminal era in Shaker history. Set in New England in the mid-nineteenth century during the Era of Manifestations, this tale explores the often paradoxical nature of a zealously rigid and charismatic belief system. After setting fire to her family's farmhouse while her abusive father sleeps, 15-year-old Polly Kimball escapes with her mother and young brother in tow. Seeking refuge as indentured orphans in a Shaker community, Polly is mistakenly hailed as a visionist, inflaming spiritual passions and arousing suspicions among various citizens of the City of Hope. As Polly attempts to guard her secret, a determined private investigator works behind the scenes to uncover the truth about the fire. Although the pacing is a bit plodding at times, the subject matter and the historical setting are compelling.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)