Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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:
No
The multiple pov gave this book depth. Very good. Similar to the Water Dancer in slavery with a bit of magical realism but I honestly felt done better. A more well crafted story. I cried. I would definitely read it again and recommend it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture
When I finished it, I could not stop raving about how great it was. I love the relationships between the characters. A couple months later it doesn't stand out as much in my memory.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Yonder is a wonderfully told novel, set on a plantation in the southern United States. It is the story of Black people trying to carve out a meaningful life for themselves on the ill-named Placid Hall plantation where they’re forced to live and work, and what happens when they set out in search of new lives for themselves out yonder.
One thing that immediately sets this apart from other slavery stories is the language it uses. Terms like slave and master have thankfully passed out of use, commonly replaced by enslaved and enslaver. In this novel Asim uses the terms Stolen and Thieves. The unique terminology immediately grabbed my attention and forced me to consider afresh all of the many things one group had stolen from the other. Language takes on other important roles within the story as well, especially the seven unique words whispered into the ear of each Stolen baby during a special ceremony and recited daily as a source of strength. There’s also the stories of Swing Low and Buba Yulis, which offer the promise of a different life and are carefully hidden from the ears of Thieves.The reframing of the Bible as The Book of Thieves also caught my eye, highlighting the role religion played in the system of slavery. Then there is the word freedom and what might lie outside the world of the plantation. If you’ve never experienced it how do you know exactly what it is?
Asim also did an excellent job contrasting the outer facade of the Stolen and the way the Thieves perceived them, with the reality of their inner and privates lives. One such example was William whose love of Margaret and hatred of the system they were forced to live in, meant he took great care never to impregnate her. He refused to risk having his own children subjected to the misery he endured. Yet Thieves believed he and other Stolen weren’t capable of love or control.
This could just be another slavery story, albeit one with memorable well-drawn characters. However, it’s careful and precise use of language reframes the expected narrative and forces the reader to consider it through a different lens.
One thing that immediately sets this apart from other slavery stories is the language it uses. Terms like slave and master have thankfully passed out of use, commonly replaced by enslaved and enslaver. In this novel Asim uses the terms Stolen and Thieves. The unique terminology immediately grabbed my attention and forced me to consider afresh all of the many things one group had stolen from the other. Language takes on other important roles within the story as well, especially the seven unique words whispered into the ear of each Stolen baby during a special ceremony and recited daily as a source of strength. There’s also the stories of Swing Low and Buba Yulis, which offer the promise of a different life and are carefully hidden from the ears of Thieves.The reframing of the Bible as The Book of Thieves also caught my eye, highlighting the role religion played in the system of slavery. Then there is the word freedom and what might lie outside the world of the plantation. If you’ve never experienced it how do you know exactly what it is?
Asim also did an excellent job contrasting the outer facade of the Stolen and the way the Thieves perceived them, with the reality of their inner and privates lives. One such example was William whose love of Margaret and hatred of the system they were forced to live in, meant he took great care never to impregnate her. He refused to risk having his own children subjected to the misery he endured. Yet Thieves believed he and other Stolen weren’t capable of love or control.
This could just be another slavery story, albeit one with memorable well-drawn characters. However, it’s careful and precise use of language reframes the expected narrative and forces the reader to consider it through a different lens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation
Yonder gave me the best sense of what slavery was actually like than anything I’ve read before. It really made me think about this happening in our country in a time not that far away. It also made me realize how similar things still are in many ways.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No