I could not get behind this book and only kept reading for the sake of the book club I’m in. I did not like the writing style and would have preferred the story without the supernatural elements. It’s a tough read, with the story being about a girl sold into slavery and her experiences, however I found the spirits in the book distracting and would have rather just her story on its own. 

This was so deep and hard and sad. It’s just a realistic look at the horrors of slavery combined with what might have been. It was hard to be in this headspace for too long, but it’s definitely beautifully written 

I don’t even really understand what I just read–or what the point of the book was–so I’m withholding a numerical rating. The synopsis was accurate but really undersold how big a role the spirits played in the storyline. I almost felt like the spiritual element got more face time than the main character (Annis/Arese). It revolved heavily around the ambiguous nature of her ‘ancestral’ spirit (Aza). The vibe was ultra gloomy with fleeting tender moments from love interests (Safi & Bastian). If this hadn’t been a book club read, I would’ve DNF’d for sure.

Like most books on slavery, this was emotionally hard to read. But it was beautifully written, and I loved Annis and even Aza. I have hope for Annis.

Brutal and lyrical, follows a young woman born into US slavery and sold down the river after her mother and with, though quickly separated from, her lover. Spirit-ful and spiritual reflections on grief, intergenerational trauma, mother’s love, the connections between people, places and times. Good, heartbreaking, read

Perhaps the most heartfelt writer I have read. Jesmyn Ward writes Annie and her mother, her companions, with strength and depth; she writes their daily struggles as the subjects of unending cruelty in sharp detail, from a character full of determination and despair, until both she and her reality are stark and fully imagined before us, until we are immersed in that dark place—and in the bloom of scents, the pain of cut palms, the seeping presence of spirits to watch and intercede. It is a hard story, because the history, the knowledge that these acts of enslavement, brutality, rape, starvation, torture and confinement were common and that thousands of people lived through them and bear their legacy. Ward reminds us, much like the spirit who records the names of those who cross the sea remembers, so the lives, the harms, and the fires can be felt in the land and the people we are among today. So that we can imagine what bodies were forced to bear, and the poetry and love that those extremely resilient people still found and shared, the will to live that carried skills and knowledge from person to person, and across generations unto freedom.

Gut-wrenching and emotionally taxing from start to finish, but written beautifully. I love Jesmyn Ward’s prose - it’s so raw and visceral. An important story.

this book was well-written, enjoyable even, but not necessarily one I’d rate highly or recommend, as it felt like it was missing something  

this book is more of a character study than a story, which I didn’t expect. Annis is an interesting, incredible woman, and I love her bi/pan existence- no unnecessary waffling about why she likes who she likes, just love of all shapes and kinds with multiple genders. platonic, romantic, etc. very refreshing, especially for a historical time period. The book is very very slow to start, and even slower to really move beyond just plain suffering and pain for Annis, but you come to love as care for her as the few events unfold. I do mean few events- this book bristles with emotion, but there is not a lot “happening”. I wasn’t opposed to that per se, but it took me a bit to stop going “so when does she do stuff ?”

the prose is lovely- it reminded me of reading their eyes were watching god. a treat for the eyes, with many phrases i turned over in my mind out of pure enjoyment. the author clearly dedicates a lot of time to style, even if it is at the expense of structure/pacing. 

the spiritual aspect of this book was oddly developed. there was so much teeming under the surface, but the parts we saw were rushed and half-explained. some of that could be attributed to the fact that as a slave, Annis has to rebuild her history and understanding of spirits from word of mouth info from her mother, and glimpses from the Water (?)— things are half-explained, because she is having to piece them together on her own. that being said, sometimes it just felt like the author wasn’t sure how to link all the pieces together and just kinda threw a spiritual universe in without thinking deeply on its structure. i often find that literary/speculative books struggle with the fantasy-adjacent aspects of their stories, because they don’t spend as much developing the world behind them. I think that is what is at play here 

as a result, the ending felt… disjointed. Annis goes from mostly confusion & fear in the face of spirits to being able to command and manipulate them over the span of a chapter or two, and it led to such a strange conclusion. Annis deserves peace and love, and i liked that aspect of it, but it felt like the author got tired of lead-up and just short-circuited Annis directly to it. i got to the last page and was like ? already ?

for that reason, this book is a 3.5 for me. very beautiful, sad, and profound, Annis was a heartfelt, incredible character, and the prose is lovely, but ultimately the lack of structure in some elements and rushed ending left me a bit dissatisfied.