Let Us Descend gives us a view of slavery through the eyes of Annis, a young girl who is sold from the rice fields of the Carolinas by her enslaver and father, taken to the auction block of New Orleans, and then to a sugar plantation by a woman called "the lady," who's anything but.

Ward takes her time describing how excruciating the miles-long trek is for Annis and the other enslaved to New Orleans. Through rain, swamps, and deep rivers, the soles of their feet bleeding and calloused. How they stand there in the middle of the town being inspected like animals as others avert their eyes. Their perpetual hunger on the plantation, having to resort to eating leftovers and table scraps from the lady's plate. Dante's Inferno is mentioned a few times after Annis evesdrops on her half-sisters' lessons while on the Carolina plantation. The novel's name comes from that work,  and Annis refers to it as she descends further into this hellscape.

Throughout her journey, Annis self-reflects and is comforted by the memories of her mother and the stories her mother told of her own mother, a warrior who was stolen from Africa. This leads to Annis communicating with a spirit, Aza, who used to also visit her mother and grandmother. Aza becomes a guide to Annis like Virgil is to Dante, and although Annis doesn't fully trust Aza, it helps her realize her own strengths and gives her hope.

There were times I found myself averting my eyes much like the passersby of the auction block when certain scenes became too much. But I had to see Annis' story through because the ancestors lived this horror. I felt ashamed for wanting to avoid reading of her account.

I recommend this novel to those who seek a deeper understanding of the pain and suffering that came from slavery, TW: sexual assault. The grief of being ripped from your loved ones but also the joy of finding friendship and love within the enslaved community. 

To write so beautifully about such an injustice is a skill set Ward has mastered. This is lyrical prose.