I’ve just finished reading Pompeii by Robert Harris. Harris appears to like writing historical novels as he’s also written about the code-breaking team during WWII in ‘Enigma’. It is quite an odd concept - writing a book where everyone knows the ending but if Shakespeare can do it….
The book follows the man responsible for the maintenance of the Aqueducts in the Bay of Naples and takes place in the days and hours running up-to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius (think 24 a la Ancient Rome). The water stops running and the Aquarius must fix the aqueduct, but preying on his mind is the mysterious disappearance of the previous holder of his position and some strange goings on in the area.
What is most striking about Pompeii is the level of detail, and more so since all of it appears to be startlingly accurate. At the end of the book Harris acknowledges his sources (a good few) and thanks those (distinguished) people that gave advice including Dr Mary Beard (someone I’d actually heard of before reading the name in Pompeii). Writing a book set 100 years ago requires some skill to avoid any anachronisms but writing one set around 2000 years ago is some feat. From my (sparse) knowledge of the Roman empire at that time all the details appear to be spot on, each page containing many references to actions performed or customs that must have been researched quite meticulously.
Along with attention to details in the book Robert Harris also includes some historical figures. Whilst the main character is an unknown some notable people take a large role in the book, most notably Pliny the Elder and (to a lesser extent) his nephew Pliny the Younger. What is astonishing is that every single detail about Pliny’s life appears to be correct even down to the description of Pliny the Elder’s demise (not wanting to spoil the end but you should have guessed). As it happens Pliny the Younger wrote an account of his uncle’s death which ties in exactly with the story-line of the book (for the curious Pliny describes what happened to him and his mother after the eruption, not included in the novel, in Book Six, letter 20 of his Letters, the description of his uncle’s death is earlier in letter 16).
Having babbled on about the little yet accurate details it only remains to say that despite the constraints of ‘getting the history right’ and ‘everyone knowing what happens’ Robert Harris still manages to create an enthralling book that really brings to life that period of history. I just wish I’d read it when I was still studying the Roman Empire. Having harped on for quite so long about the detail is seems as if the only reason to read it is if you have some strange long-running obsession with the Romans (ahem) but that isn’t really the case. It’s a very entertaining book, not absolutely outstanding but good, definitely worth a read.
