“Lords of St. Thomas”: A Thrilling Novel of Family and Sacrifice

Jackson Ellis describes a tender, thought-provoking family legacy in “Lords of St. Thomas” (Green Writers Press, coming to paperback April 2018). The reader gets an account of the fictional Henry Lord and his family in St. Thomas, Nevada. Here the Lords struggle with family bonds, tragedy and fear of the inevitable. The book is also an important record of history, depicting the consequences of the building of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s.

Disaster abounds for this family, set during the construction of the Hoover Dam. When the U.S. government tries to buy out the citizens of St. Thomas, families are met with the rising waters of Lake Mead. Soon enough, the entire town was underwater. The skeletons of houses washed up off the shore of Lake Mead are the inspiration for “Lords of St. Thomas.”

Henry Lord, his father, mother and grandfather (also named Henry Lord) live together in their home in St. Thomas. Henry’s grandfather decides to ignore the government’s offers and warnings to stay in his beloved home. Amidst tragedy and joy, the family stubbornly stays until the waters reach their front door. These were the choices for the residents of St. Thomas: to wait for the inevitable or to leave home.

“Lords of St. Thomas” gives voice  to a young boy coming of age. Ellis raises contemplative questions of death and loss through the growing Henry Lord.

“I used to wonder: what is the ideal way to lose
someone you love? Is it best to be there, right up to
the end, standing by their side when they go? Or better
to learn of their passing after the fact, from afar,
where the reality of their death exists only in your
mind, abstract and impalpable? Is it preferable to see it
coming so that you can prepare for the inevitable, or
is it better to be surprised by it so you don’t waste a
single shared moment of life worrying about or fighting
against the things that you can’t control anyway?”

“Lords of St. Thomas” is gripping and page-turning. Readers take a complex walk through a winding graveyard of themes: home, mortality, adolescence, family, suffering, and promises. Jackson Ellis delicately places all of these hurdles in the way of both the Lords and the reader.

There are, of course, joyful moments in the story. Henry Lord is a boy with ambition and love for his whole family. Henry’s father spends time playing baseball with him, and his mother teaches Henry in school.

But the most touching relationship lies between Henry and his grandfather. Both are men of few words and love spending time with each other. They fish on their boat, enjoy long walks or work together on cars in the family garage. Ellis builds the grandfather to be a grand mentor and best friend.

In his first novel, Jackson Ellis delivers masterful use of language. He develops the characters wonderfully. The plot moves with ease and grabs onto the reader from the beginning. Ellis also manages to mix historic fiction with a beautifully written narrative. All in all, “Lords of St. Thomas” is an entertaining read that left me reflecting on situations in my own life.

Jackson Ellis won GWP’s 2017 Howard Frank Mosher First Novel Prize for “Lords of St. Thomas.” He also is the founding editor and publisher for VerbicideMagazine.com. Be sure to check out some of his shorter fiction, his website, and his first novel, “Lords of St. Thomas.”

Shane Hoyle, Staff Writer.