Years before Sebastian Junger, an American, wrote the book titled “A Perfect Storm,” published by W. W. Horton & Co., Dr. Henry Anderson, a Belizean, wrote a book about a hurricane which he titled “The One Eyed Lady”. “A Perfect Storm” became a best seller, but few Belizeans have read Dr. Anderson’s book.
In comparing these two books, you would observe that Mr. Junger did a lot of research about a fishing community on the north coast of America. He also used a lot of imagination in describing the different episodes contained in his story, while you could not help but feel Dr. Anderson wrote from first hand knowledge and experience.
Which is the better way to write a story? I don’t know which but, I prefer “The One Eyed Lady” to the “Perfect Storm”. Maybe, it’s because Anderson is a Belizean and, what is wrong with that? I’m prejudiced but, it is the kind of prejudice that does me no harm. It is the kind of prejudice that it might become all Belizeans to have a bit of. Because, when we become infected by this disease, we will begin to give more support to our local artists, writers and musicians. We have many talented writers in Belize but, their books are lying in the bookstores while we read.
We also have fine literary critics such as Andrew Steinhauer, Sandra Coye and Larry Vernon but, Glenn Tillett paid me the compliment of asking me to write a review of the “The One Eyed Lady” for a magazine he intended to produce. The magazine was never published, and the review was put away with my other writings which have also never been published. I think it may serve to introduce Dr. Anderson to our readers who have not met him.
The One Eyed Lady
– a review by C.B. Hyde –
First off, I must tell you that I am not a critic. To be a critic you have to be literate; but, especially, you have to be an old curmudgeon, or, at least, an aspiring one. I am not even a book reviewer, but the publisher of this magazine thinks so. So, I have decided to have a go at it.
After reading “The One Eyed Lady,” which I did in two short sittings over two days, I have come to the conclusion that this is a great book, not because it is enjoyable and very easy to read, although it is, but it is, perhaps, the best book ever written on the subject with which it deals. The book has several defects that will be mentioned later on. Dr. Anderson is not a great writer, but this is a great book. I will tell you why I think so.
It seems to me that all the events which take place between the covers of this book are merely incidental. The men, women and children who live and breathe in this book are not real people of flesh and blood. They talk, go through motions, have little adventures, curse and swear , make love, even die, sometimes grotesquely, but they have no real purpose. Their raison d’etre is so the writer can tell you about Dorothy.
Nobody will ever remember anything about Richard, Victor, Arthur, Aunt Joan, Sandra or Santiago. They were not meant to be remembered.
Readers will also forget that the story starts with the surreptitious landing of an airplane, carrying a cargo of drugs, on a makeshift airstrip somewhere in Stann Creek. Where did the cargo come from and what was its ultimate destination are loose ends the writer does not bother to tie up – so much window dressing. You might think you have the answer when, near to the end of the story, the yacht belonging to Harold and Bert, the two gay men , was sinking and cellophane packets containing a white powder were floating around.
No matter. This story is not about those things. It is about Dorothy. She is like that sweet fairy child, full of wide eyed wonder, who went walking on the yellow brick road to find the Wizard of Oz, but only in two ways. They are both named Dorothy and neither has a last name.
Oz’s Dorothy was sweet sixteen at the time of her adventure. This one is only a few days old when the writer makes her acquaintance. In a couple of weeks she grows from a gentle child into a ravening monster. To tell the truth, she becomes a witch with a capital “B.” And, in fact, Dorothy is that wonderful but destructive force of nature called a H-U-R-R-I-C-A-N-E.
So. It would seem a very strange thing for a reviewer to say about a writer that he fell in love with a monster but, so it seems to me. How else could he be able to write in such wonderful terms about the witch’s depredations? Why else would he have the nerve to name his book, “The One Eyed Lady?” unless, he was thinking about Lady Macbeth. It reminds me of Homer describing the magnificent exploits of his hero, Achilles, in the Iliad, although Homer is not in love with Achilles.
Dr. Anderson has obviously spent a great deal of time studying about storms. He seems to know as much about this subject as he does about medicine, which is considerable. Anyone who wishes to increase his/her knowledge about the special kind of storm of the class labeled hurricane, should read this book. To date, none better has appeared in print.
I am glad a that a Belizean has written this book because I believe that as a nation we have a proprietary feeling about hurricanes, having suffered so much at their hands, although we would like to forego their future attentions. But, it seems a pity that its circulation will be so limited. A book like this would be a best seller if it were written by an American and published by Doubleday or Random House. Of course, if it were published by those giants, it would be refined by the best editors, marketed by experts and presented with imagination and artistry to a potential readership of several millions. However, who is to say that this will not happen, still?