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novelshire's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75
An historical fantasy set in an almost exclusively Black town in the American South during the 1930s
Awenasa, founded by a former slave, has provided a safe haven for it's African American residents - often escaping poor treatment or been chased out of their former homes by their white neighbours - until it is threatened by a government dam-building project.
Jane, our main character, uses sign language to communicate following a series of traumatic events when she was a child, including the murder of a young man she knew, that left her barely able to speak. But one day, she's sure she sees that same man wandering about the town, and yet no one else seems to recognise him and he has an uncanny ability to slip away and disappear. This leads Jane to discover a secret world beneath the water and the existence of gods from African folklore.
This could have been a purely historical fiction and I still would have enjoyed it- the setting, the characters and their stories were so well told and compelling. The time and setting, including the inspiration of real drowned Black towns, are obviously well researched - Awenasa and it's residents fell completely real.
I enjoyed the African religion and folklore elements, especially the tokens and memories (I don't want to give away spoilers). To begin with, this seems like a magical realism historical fiction but by the end it dips into more solidly historical fantasy as Jane, with some help from others, tries to save her town.
The pacing isn't perfect, it maybe flags a little in the middle, and I wasn't hugely keen on Jane magically regaining her voice especially as she communicates perfectly well anyway. But these are minor complaints to a book that has a great, organic feeling of community, time and place.
Thank you to Orbit UK for providing a netgalley review copy
Awenasa, founded by a former slave, has provided a safe haven for it's African American residents - often escaping poor treatment or been chased out of their former homes by their white neighbours - until it is threatened by a government dam-building project.
Jane, our main character, uses sign language to communicate following a series of traumatic events when she was a child, including the murder of a young man she knew, that left her barely able to speak. But one day, she's sure she sees that same man wandering about the town, and yet no one else seems to recognise him and he has an uncanny ability to slip away and disappear. This leads Jane to discover a secret world beneath the water and the existence of gods from African folklore.
This could have been a purely historical fiction and I still would have enjoyed it- the setting, the characters and their stories were so well told and compelling. The time and setting, including the inspiration of real drowned Black towns, are obviously well researched - Awenasa and it's residents fell completely real.
I enjoyed the African religion and folklore elements, especially the tokens and memories (I don't want to give away spoilers). To begin with, this seems like a magical realism historical fiction but by the end it dips into more solidly historical fantasy as Jane, with some help from others, tries to save her town.
The pacing isn't perfect, it maybe flags a little in the middle, and I wasn't hugely keen on
Thank you to Orbit UK for providing a netgalley review copy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
afloodofbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Jane Edwards stopped truly speaking when she was eleven, after a traumatic experience that saw the source of her greatest secret and guilt, and all the Black residents of her town expelled under the cover of night. Jane and her family find solace in Awenasa, an all-Black town. But 12 years after the incident, and their move the Awenasa, the construction of a dam threatens the safe haven her family, and many others call home.
Jane will do anything to protect her family and community, including following the river to a submerged world of myths and gods not too far from her own.
Penelope brings together the stories of Oscarville, Georgia and Kowaliga, Alabama, two Black towns that were drowned between the 1930s and 1950s by man made reservoirs, to rewrite history with a fantastical twist that draws on Black history, folklore, and African Diasporic traditions and gods. This book was beautifully written as we come to know Jane, her family, and the town and citizens of Awenasa, their stories, the struggles they face(d), and the secrets they keep. I was completely swept up in the beauty of New Ilé, a mythical city built by the gods to give their children the lives and futures they deserved. The details in this book were gorgeous and I really felt connected with Jane and felt the power of the gods as they worked to save Awenasa and solve their own problems. It was a lovely reminder that freedom is not just a physical thing, but mental as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for a digital ARC of Daughter of the Merciful Deep!
Jane will do anything to protect her family and community, including following the river to a submerged world of myths and gods not too far from her own.
Penelope brings together the stories of Oscarville, Georgia and Kowaliga, Alabama, two Black towns that were drowned between the 1930s and 1950s by man made reservoirs, to rewrite history with a fantastical twist that draws on Black history, folklore, and African Diasporic traditions and gods. This book was beautifully written as we come to know Jane, her family, and the town and citizens of Awenasa, their stories, the struggles they face(d), and the secrets they keep. I was completely swept up in the beauty of New Ilé, a mythical city built by the gods to give their children the lives and futures they deserved. The details in this book were gorgeous and I really felt connected with Jane and felt the power of the gods as they worked to save Awenasa and solve their own problems. It was a lovely reminder that freedom is not just a physical thing, but mental as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for a digital ARC of Daughter of the Merciful Deep!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, and Racial slurs
There are memory throwbacks that tell the story of a man being lynched for a crime he did not commit.
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