BOOKMONGER: A novel about taking and making chances

“The Edge of Lost” by Kristina McMorris

Portland author Kristina McMorris has left her comfort zone behind. Instead of setting her fourth historical novel in the 1940s, an era she frequently writes about, this time she tackles the period between World Wars I and II. Furthermore, “The Edge of Lost” focuses on a young man’s story, where McMorris’ previous books could clearly be identified as women’s fiction.

In terms of both the character and the era, McMorris took a chance, and succeeded. And the careful plotting — another McMorris hallmark — pays off in an absorbing story.

In 1919, Shanley Keagan is an adolescent who ekes out an existence in Dublin’s pubs as a young vaudevillian. His mother and stepfather are both dead, and any idea of locating his biological father — a Yank sailor — seems an unattainable pipe dream until the ne’er-do-well uncle he lives with makes the unexpected announcement that they’re leaving Ireland. Within a matter of weeks they’re aboard a ship sailing across the Atlantic.

But by the time Shan reaches New York City, he finds himself on his own. He may have come down off the ship’s boarding plank as Shan Keagan, but due to some irregularities that cropped up at customs, when he leaves Ellis Island he goes by the name Tommy Capello.

He is taken in by a kindly Italian family that already has a son, Niccolo, who is close to him in age. Shan initially had hoped to track down his father, but in a country as vast as the United States, it’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack. As time passes, he gives up on that dream and focuses on the more immediate imperative of finding work during challenging times.

Growing to adulthood in a neighborhood dominated by Italian immigrant families means that both Shan and Nick must learn how to deal with the underworld of the mob. Nick gets a job doing deliveries for one of the local bosses, while Shan is able to establish a cordial and relatively arm’s-length relationship, thanks to his talents as an entertainer.

But that is not enough to protect him when he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time — a violent crime is committed and Shan gets sentenced to 25 years hard time. He ends up across the country on Alcatraz.

This is where McMorris’ talent as a researcher really pays off. The final quarter of the book is a fascinating look at incarceration on “Devil’s Island,” and the author incorporates many real-life incidents into Shan’s story.

Officially, Alcatraz never had any successful escapes during its 29 years of operation as a penitentiary. Most participants in attempted escapes were either killed or recaptured. However, there were a couple of instances where convicts disappeared without a trace but were presumed dead — and that lack of total confirmation was enough for McMorris to devise an intriguing climax to her story.

“The Edge of Lost” is about taking — and making — chances. It is a satisfying read.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "BOOKMONGER: A novel about taking and making chances."