While the overall plot was very good and Annis was such a great character, there were many parts that were very confusing and hard to follow. 

I really loved the metaphysical in this book - that Annis was always speaking to her mother’s spirit or the more god-like spirit. And her mother’s words were always in her head guiding her. It was an awful story full of love. 

Amazing personification and beautiful description. 

The first sentence of the book description is exactly what Let Us Descend is; “a reimagining of American slavery, as beautifully rendered as it is heart-wrenching”. It reads as a poem and a puzzle, almost, connecting all the dots. It’s a deep think read.

Update after  week of reflection: it truly is a story of self-liberation in all its forms. Beautiful.

This book’s lyrical writing feels like an epic poem that sears its way into the senses and deeply into the heart. It is haunting.

Jesmyn Ward’s artistry is remarkable. Stunning. I listened to the audiobook read by the author which felt like a privilege and an honor.

I will not forget this book. The parallels and references to Dante’s Inferno are brilliant. What I will not forget in particular is the brutality of this story. The moments of love and longing kept me reading but it was an incredibly difficult read. Painful. I almost gave up but felt that it was important not to look away … just as the author says: we must bear witness.

The relationship between Annis and her mother is so powerful — in that it gives Annis the strength to endure all that she faces. Really, all of the female relationships in the book have power.

I love historical fiction and often read this genre but I don’t know if I will be able to do so for a long time.