A review by inked_in_pages
Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

"What's on the other side of sublime? What happens after you see it? Youre supposed to just go back to your old life, sneaking around and cleaning up after white folks? You're supposed to accept that a view is the closest you'll ever get to being limitless?"

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine introduces the readers to Delilah June, "Junie", as she works as the handmaid for a plantation owners daughter, Violet. Throughout the novel, the reader sees Junie grow in her understanding of the evils of the world while at the same time, never losing the fight or hope for a different life. 

Junie combines historical fiction with some paranormal facets that are both a nod to the spiritual beliefs of Black Slaves while also personifying eternal hope. In the author's note, Eckstine writes "I wanted to explore what it would look like to see a character with dreams, ambitions, love, grief, and flaws in the same way every human has; not as a way of diminishing the horror, but instead shining a light on the individual humanity of a group of people many have grown to perceive monolithically." With Junie, she is absolutely successful in her mission.