The Given Day is an energetic story built with clever prose. Set in Boston at the end of the first world war, this novel tells the story of two families, one black and one white, who are swept up in the political and revolutionary events of the day. Danny Coughlin is a beat cop who seeks to have the Boston Police Force join the union movement. Luther Lawrence, a black man on the run, works for the Coughlin family while trying to find his way home to his pregnant wife. John Hoover, Babe Ruth and other influential figures play a part in this story. Pivotal events include the Spanish influenza pandemic, the great Molasses Flood and the Boston police strike. The Given Day champions good causes such as women's rights and racial integration. However, the author gives the main characters a revisionist mindset having them champion norms of our time such as cohabitation, individualism, and bias against the Catholic Church which it portrays as oppressive and useless. There is a fair amount of violence, swearing and taking of the lord's name in vain and some sexual content.
Ida Gazzola, Canadá, 2020