The Reservoir
By John Milliken Thompson (Other Press, June 2011)
The author will be reading from the novel and signing copies at Murder By the Book tonight at 6:30 pm.
I am a Southerner by way of Tennessee. I grew up in a small town, and I have spent my life surrounded by mementos of the Civil War. I have always had a nice picture in my mind of what life must have been like in those years after the war. The world was starting to change, to become modern. It is something that I have spent a lot of time considering over the years. Imagine my surprise when I started reading The Reservoir and saw that Thompson’s vision was not all that far from my own.
The novel is set in the 1880s, when the Old South was becoming new. Tommie Cluverius is a young man who is caught in a gray area. He wants to live in the modern world, but he also values tradition. He is caught between two women, each one representing a different end of that spectrum. Nola is the genteel Southern belle. If he marries her, then he is assured of a certain social status. Lillie is from a more simple background. She is lively. She is a bit of a flirt, but she is smart. She makes him laugh. She is the one that he loves. Then, one day, Lillie is found floating in the reservoir. She was eight months pregnant, and it appears she was struck before falling into the water.
The investigation that follows leads officials to Tommie. His status as a respected member of the community, an up-and-coming country lawyer, does not keep him from being arrested. The novel is devoted to documenting the subsequent trial. It also uses flashbacks telling the reader the story about what happened. Through these memories, the reader becomes well-acquainted with the each of the characters, learning about their motivations and seeing where their loyalties lie. But no matter how familiar they become, nor how much we think we get to know them, there are constant surprises. The reader becomes a member of that jury, sitting in the courtroom trying to decide Tommie’s fate. And that is no easy decision to make.
Perhaps the strongest features of the novel is that it presents a story that will appeal to contemporary readers in both style and subject while maintaining its historical authenticity. It is clear that Thompson did his homework.
It was while doing a bit of “homework” on the history of Richmond that he was inspired to write this novel. It is based on the true story of Commonwealth vs. Cluverius, a sensational murder trial that took place in Richmond during the 1880s.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
This book is being discussed as a part of BOOK CLUB over at Devourer of Books. 
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