Banks claims the story is an account of audio tapes that Harley Mann recorded. However, the story is a fictional account in which Banks describes life on a parcel of land in Osceola County purchased by Shakers from the Disston Land Company in 1896. The New Bethany Shaker colony, the novel’s primary setting, is near Narcoossee on the Cloud River. The magic kingdom of Banks’ book is this Shaker colony in south Florida where the main character, Harley Mann, moved with his mother and brothers in 1902. Banks has done his homework and writes a believable tale of a young man coming of age among the Shakers.
In the beginning, Harley Mann believes that the Shaker elders will nurture his family and provide the love and structure they need to survive his father’s death. It is gratifying to have food and a reasonable place to sleep after becoming nearly enslaved on a plantation in Georgia before being recruited by the Shakers. Harley is learning to be a beekeeper and completes many tasks in the self-sufficient community, leading him and the readers to believe he will eventually become a leader.
The predominant focus and message of The Magic Kingdom is the description of the precepts of the Shakers, the Society of Believers. The Shakers engage in communal living, and they share all property. Additionally, they remain celibate, do not procreate, and must adopt and recruit new members to survive. Harley lived the Shaker life in good faith until his natural urges led to wanting a relationship with a woman. Banks describes Harley’s inner turmoil and many other emotions as the novel progresses. The plot includes unresolvable conflicts that lead to anger, regrets, betrayals, and hypocrisy.
Some parts of the book were slow-moving, but I was immersed in the story and gained new insights into the Shakers, Koresh followers, and Ruskinites, groups that settled and played a role in the development of our country. Of course, the rustic nature of Florida’s land was essential to the story’s setting.
