In The Newry Highwaymen, Kirk Burpee brings us to the Ireland of the 18th century, into the world of rebellion, love and struggle towards freedom. The novel traces a group of highwaymen outlaws, by law, but heroes, by the people, who work in and about Newry. Essentially, the story touches upon the opposition of the repressive forces of the epoch and the human desire for dignity and justice.
Burpee describes a very picturesque picture: dusty lanes across foggy moors, deep woods that sheltered both the hiding place and the place of danger, and faces illuminated by lamps or the eyes of someone. The highwaymen are not stereotyped beings to be romanticized; they are multifaceted men with their motives, allegiances and weaknesses. Burpee makes them three-dimensional: the lost soul of the leader, the youthful ideality of the recruit, and the woman torn between love and service.
The historical background is abundant. We experience the burden of the colonialism, the friction between the landlords and the locals, and the force of the traditions and community, which are not so evident, yet always present. The love affair in the middle of the novel is not a distraction but rather an addition: it demonstrates what the characters are struggling with, rather than merely fighting. Burpee employs good dialogue and internal monologue to discuss how human beings survive, revolt, and fantasize under severe circumstances.
The action scenes are cinematic: a raid in the middle of the night, horses running out of darkness, close escapes, and ethical issues. However, Burpee also takes his time to consider the characters: the price of freedom, what it is like to live outside the law, and what our bonds are. The book does not evade the effects of violence or the weight of those who are on its periphery.
The Newry Highwaymen is a must-read for readers who are into historical fiction. It is a journey and a reflection on righteousness. This story takes readers on a journey to travel in time and space to the place where the struggle towards freedom is personal and dangerous. He creates a narrative that is memorable.
Hello and thanks for checking into the new Highwaymen so this is the book that started off my writing career wrote a screenplay of the story with my wife catboy and this was on her deathbed she made me promise to write a book of it and some of the other stories that we were working on so it’s got a special place in my heart and I hope you enjoy the story