Reviews with content warning for Death - Night Wherever We Go

I'm not going to sugarcoat it: this is a book about slavery, and it doesn't pull its punches. The setting is dark enough on its own, before we even get to the particular events this story centers around. But while these women were forced to suffer indignity, cruelty, and violation, they turned to each other for support and found ways to create connection and joy. Ultimately, I found this to be a story about community, resilience, and defiance. While this still doesn't add up to a particularly uplifting book, those themes shine like a light in the darkness, illuminating a story unlike any fictionalized slave narrative I've come across before.

One of the things I thought was very interesting was how the many different traditions of the women came together when they held their spiritual meetings. It would have been very easy to write them as all-of-a-kind, but the author was determined to depict the variety of women who were enslaved during this time period. In this regard I believe she succeeded in four out of six cases; unfortunately, I found two of the women to be very under-developed, to the point where I knew little of their personalities or desires, aside from a brief sketch of their origins and a quirk or two. She knocked it out of the park for Serah, Patience, Nan, and Junie, though.

Another thing I think she executed very well was the shifting narrative perspective. Occasionally, the novel is narrated in first person plural: we knew this, we did this, we saw that. I noticed many reviewers were confused about this, asking who the first person narrator was. My interpretation is that it was the women narrating collectively before coming to the forefront one-by-one for the traditional third-person narration sections. In addition to the primary women, several other characters get to take turns narrating, showing the reader the perspectives of other enslaved people and shedding some light on why the Lucys might choose the actions they did. None of their actions were excused, but I appreciated being shown the reasons.

As a side note, the Texas Troubles of 1860 was an actual historical event that I'd never heard of before in my life. I don't know if my education failed me or if it's just one of those things that doesn't really get taught outside of Texas. If you're also not familiar, I'd suggest waiting to google it until after you've read the book. Just know that the final part of the book is grounded in real history.

Content Warnings

srivalli's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

4.5

4.5 Stars

One Liner: Hard-hitting and well-written

The plantation is struggling in the Texas weather. Six enslaved women gather in the nearby forest in secret to find a way to overcome their problems. The plantation owners, the Lucys, have decided to breed slaves by hiring a 'stockman' to impregnate them. The women are determined to prevent this.

A pregnancy will mean more such attempts until their bodies give up. However, being caught has deadly consequences, as slaves have no rights. Can the women win this uneven fight with the Lucys?

The story comes in the first-person plural and third-person POV.

My Thoughts:

It’s not always that I don’t know what to say about a book I’ve read. Night The premise says it is a tale of Black women enslaved, humiliated, tortured, and abused by their owners. However, it is so much more!

The narration is the highlight of the book. It’s a perfect mix of detached and personal. The reader is compelled to feel the pain but doesn’t get drowned by drama. In fact, there is no drama, even with the scope for it. I love how the narration is taut and a little meandering at the same time. This blend of contrasting styles somehow works to create the right impact on the reader.

Though there are six women slaves mentioned, not all have an equal role. A couple of them stand out, a couple of them walk in and out whenever necessary, and the others fade into the background. This works to keep the focus on the main plot and how it unravels as the story progresses.

As a reader, you know which character is doing something that could hurt them all. But you also know the reason for it and feel doubly sad. You want to know what happens at the end, but you also don’t want to know.

Another interesting aspect is the importance of their rituals. Some of them are Christians but still hold on to their pagan roots. Some blend and merge all rituals, trying to gain what little comfort they can from any God willing to listen.

Though the women are bound by common circumstances like slavery and abuse, they come from different backgrounds and experiences. Despite their shared sisterhood, they have arguments, fights, and secrets that bring the necessary action to advance the plot. They are a unit but with independent minds, thoughts, and ideas. This makes the characters more realistic and impactful.

With so much to love about this hard-hitting story, why did I round it down to 4 stars? The ending.

It is good and not good. I went in prepared for it. After all, there aren’t many options here. So, that part is good. However, there’s a split, which somehow left me feeling lost as the read the last page. I can’t explain without revealing spoilers, but a sudden new thread takes the reader out of the scene. Though it ties up with the plot, it removes the focus from the main characters. Though the POV shifts again, the momentum is lost.

To summarize, Night Wherever We Go is a wonderful book about the lives of slaves on plantations and their constant fight for freedom. Using a setting like Texas and a smaller plantation with a handful of slaves makes the book more personal and poignant. I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ecco, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

#NetGalley #NightWhereverWeGo

*****

P.S: As you would have guessed, the book has many triggers, ranging from domestic abuse to forced sex and more.

Content Warnings

jen_thetelltalebookclub's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad slow-paced

4.0

This book has deep themes. I don't want that to detour anyone from reading the book.

The women in this book faced many difficult things, losing loved ones, abuse/injury/pain, hunger to name a few, but they were so strong. I didn't know the ways the slaves avoided pregnancy and that AA men were loaned or bought for the purpose of breeding with women on the plantation. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it and learn from it. Even though the content was hard at times, it's important that this part of history is taught and that we seek to know the truth and not the versions others want us to hear. The author did a wonderful job with the climax of the book. I didn't want to put it down.

I read the audio version and Karen Chilton did a phenomenal job. For me, it probably would have been beneficial to have a physical copy while I listened because I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters voices.

I look forward to more works by Tracey Rose Peyton.

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