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A review by awebofstories
Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Grade: A
Oh boy, I'm still recovering from this one. If you know the basics of this book--six women enslaved by an unsuccessful farmer in Texas in the 1850s and their own wants to "breed" them--you know it will be heavy. And it was. And it was worth it.
Peyton's prose is hypnotic and will entice you into the story. She uses both the 2nd and 3rd person point of view, which may sound problematic but is very effective here. This technique allows the reader to see the women's individual experiences clearly while also building compassion between the women and the reader.
The world of this novel is appropriately dry and stark. However, we also see how that world changes as time passes. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that this isn't a story of people enslaved on the palatial plantation of the myth we are constantly fed. No, these women are enslaved on a hardscrabble farm run by an inept and amoral couple. Those who know the accurate history of this era know that this depiction is closer to the truth than the Tara-like plantations we see in movies.
I was devastated by this story, and I know it will stay with me for quite some time. The ending made me ache, and I simultaneously hated it and knew it was inevitable. I only have two quibbles about this book. There were times when some of the smaller details were not clear. While this didn't impact my enjoyment of the story, it took me out of it occasionally. I also felt that maybe six women were one or two too many women. We get to know about 4 of the women very well, and the others are sort of just there.
Other than that, this was an excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, needs something for their book club, or thinks Gone with the Wind is a realistic depiction of the Antebellum South.
Oh boy, I'm still recovering from this one. If you know the basics of this book--six women enslaved by an unsuccessful farmer in Texas in the 1850s and their own wants to "breed" them--you know it will be heavy. And it was. And it was worth it.
Peyton's prose is hypnotic and will entice you into the story. She uses both the 2nd and 3rd person point of view, which may sound problematic but is very effective here. This technique allows the reader to see the women's individual experiences clearly while also building compassion between the women and the reader.
The world of this novel is appropriately dry and stark. However, we also see how that world changes as time passes. One thing I really appreciated about this book is that this isn't a story of people enslaved on the palatial plantation of the myth we are constantly fed. No, these women are enslaved on a hardscrabble farm run by an inept and amoral couple. Those who know the accurate history of this era know that this depiction is closer to the truth than the Tara-like plantations we see in movies.
I was devastated by this story, and I know it will stay with me for quite some time. The ending made me ache, and I simultaneously hated it and knew it was inevitable. I only have two quibbles about this book. There were times when some of the smaller details were not clear. While this didn't impact my enjoyment of the story, it took me out of it occasionally. I also felt that maybe six women were one or two too many women. We get to know about 4 of the women very well, and the others are sort of just there.
Other than that, this was an excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, needs something for their book club, or thinks Gone with the Wind is a realistic depiction of the Antebellum South.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Physical abuse, and Rape