‘ The church spires, the patchwork of roofs, houses and shops
that straggle down from the Bairro Alto,
past the convent of Carmo towards the grand square of the Rossio below
have all vanished, swallowed in a dense cloud of dust’
– Aftershock
[ About Aftershock ]
Lisbon, All Souls’ Day, November 1st 1755.
In less than ten minutes, a massive earthquake reduces the city to rubble. An hour later, a tsunami floods the city, followed by a firestorm that rages for five days. Assailed by earth, water and flames, thousands of people die.
From the ruins of the devastated city emerges one man who resolves to deliver the country from disaster, promising to ‘heal the sick and bury the dead’: Dom Sebastião José Carvalho e Melo, who will later become the Marquis of Pombal. Facing down contempt and opposition from a decadent aristocracy, obstructed by the powerful Jesuit order, Dom Sebastião, with the support of the king, reconstructs the capital, rebuilds the economy and overhauls every arm of government, restoring order from chaos.
Aftershock is the story of a nation in crisis, and the unprecedented actions of one leader determined to protect the foundations of society.
But at what cost?
How far can he go to protect the social order, without destroying it? And is the price ever too high?
[ My Review ]
Aftershock by Liz McSkeane published October 14th with Turas Press and is described as ‘historical fiction set in 18th-century Portugal…tells the story of one of the most devastating earthquakes in recorded history, and of the man who rebuilt Lisbon from its ruins – the powerful and controversial Marquis of Pombal.’
Like many of you I have visited Lisbon and sat for awhile, watching the world go by, on the stunning Praça do Comércio. What I was oblivious to was the history behind this iconic square and its central piece of art, the equestrian statue of King José I. In 1755 Lisbon experienced a catastrophic earthquake that was followed soon after by a tsunami. Both these events decimated the city leaving the remaining population struggling to survive. At that time there was one man with a clear vision for a new Lisbon that would rise above the rubble. Dom Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, later known as the Marquis of Pombal, was a close confidante of the King of Portugal, Dom José. In 1755 he was Minister of War and Foreign Affairs and would become a despotic figure in Portuguese history.
Dom Sebastião was a man with a hunger for reform and an ambition to transform Lisbon into a city that would be the envy of other nations but there were obstacles he had to face. His ideas were not always welcomed but yet, with the ear of the King, he was able to push through with his beliefs and rebuild Lisbon into, what he perceived to be a more modern and bustling economy. His firmness and active decision-making did result in a new Lisbon that allowed it to be more competitive as an economy but he was tyrannical in how he dealt with any opposition.
Dom Sebastião reigned terror on many strata of society. No matter a person’s birth right, if they obstructed his plans, he ensured they were silenced. History recalls multiple shocking and barbaric events, including the brutal execution of members of the aristocratic Távora family, the persecution of the Jesuits and the burning of the village of Trafaria with all its inhabitants locked within its walls.
Liz McSkeane, using a mix of fact and fiction, brings this period of history very much to life over the thirty years following the earthquake. Expertly recounted, her descriptions are so very vivid that at times I had to stop reading and pause. The auto-da-fés that took place during that time are just too horrible to consider today yet the dictatorial behaviour, the silencing of insurrectionists and the controlling of a people unfortunately will resonate with many. Lisbon did rise from the ashes of the 1755 earthquake but the inhumane behaviour that followed was an enormous price to pay for a people already after suffering so much.
Aftershock is an incredibly researched fictional account of a harrowing and seismic period of Portugal’s history. Using real-life personalities adds to the authenticity of the novel with Liz McSkeane providing a list of the cast of characters at the beginning for reference purposes. Ambition, greed and ultimately the power of politics are central to Aftershock, with Dom Sebastião’s role in Lisbon’s rebirth brilliantly, and frighteningly, depicted.
A richly layered and kaleidoscopic novel, Aftershock is a powerful and dramatic tale, educational in its insights and shocking in its storytelling. Highly recommend for anyone with an interest in history.
[ Thank you to Liz McSkeane for a copy of Aftershock in exchange for my honest review ]
While Aftershock is grounded in fact, it is not a textbook or biography. It’s a novel – a work of historical fiction based on real events and the actions of real people that imagines the human cost behind the headlines of history.
Liz McSkeane
It asks: And what happens when they go too far? How far is too far? What happens when ambition, trauma, and the hunger for order collide? How far should a leader go to restore a broken country?
[ Bio ]
Liz McSkeane is a writer, publisher and Director of Turas Press, which she founded in 2017. She was born in Scotland, has lived in Ireland since 1981 and thinks of herself as both Scottish and Irish. Liz’s poems and stories have been published in many prestigious journals, including: Poetry Ireland Review, The Irish Times, Books Ireland Magazine, Ambit, The Shop, The Irish Pages, The Stinging Fly, Orbis, Stepaway, The Honest Ulsterman The Cork Literary Review and others.
Her first novel, Canticle, a historical novel set in 17th century Spain, was a winner in the 2016 Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair. Aftershock is her second novel.
