About The Book
A novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence. – Goodreads
My Review: Read It
A rich and powerful story about how black queer love, spoken through the voices of the enslavers and enslaved. The characters were complex, and the writing kept me hooked. It felt relevant, even in today’s world. Reading books set in this timeline always makes me feel awful and sad, and just puzzled how human beings ever thought they could deny someone else of their humanity. And then I think of how people treat domestic helpers in modern day Singapore and it fills me with a sadness I can’t contain. But that’s a story for another day.
Favourite Quotes
There was no one else in the world, she thought, cursed to carry such a burden. Everywhere a girl existed, there was someone telling her that she was her own fault and leading a ritual to punish her for something she never did.
It was the same smile a man had sometimes, the wrong kind of man, the kind whose curling lips were a warning that he was prone to unpredictable acts, that he thought he was entitled to touch what he wanted to touch, take what he wanted to take, spoil what he wanted to spoil, and all of that was his birthright for merely existing. She didn’t know where men got that idea from. But it was one they shared with whoever was willing to follow.
‘A curse. A curse upon you and all of your progeny. May you write in ever-pain. May you never find satisfaction. May your children eat themselves alive.’ But it was too late and the curse held no meaning because it was redundant.
Why You Should Read It
If you like Toni Morrison, tapping into your humanity, insights into history.